ENUGU STATE: AN EMERGING MODEL FOR PDP DOMINANCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LAGOS 000222

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STATE FOR AF/W
STATE FOR INR/AA
DOE FOR CAROLYN GAY
WARSAW FOR LISA PIASCIK
CIUDAD JUAREZ FOR DONNA BLAIR
ISTANBUL FOR TASHAWNA SMITH
SAO PAOLO FOR ANDREW WITHERSPOON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM NI
SUBJECT: ENUGU STATE: AN EMERGING MODEL FOR PDP DOMINANCE

REF: 06 LAGOS 1403

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Classified By: Consul General Brian L. Browne for reasons 1.4 (B and D)


1. (C) Summary: A March 5 visit by Poloffs to Enugu State
showed the People's Democratic Party (PDP) dominating the
political scene and building towards the future. Controlling
the PDP primary, Governor Chimaroke Nnamani chose protege
Sullivan Chime as his successor. Opposition parties are weak
and appear unable to seriously threaten the PDP. There are
grumblings from observers and the opposition that Governor
Nnamani took generous helpings from the till during his term,
and he could run into trouble with the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC). End summary.

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Ebeano in Control, Senate President Nnamani Out
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2. (U) Both Governor Nnamani, running for the Senate, and
People's Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate
Sullivan Chime have billboards and posters of equal size next
to each other along Enugu highways, as if to remind voters of
the prominence of Governor Nnamani and Chime's closeness to
the Governor.


3. (C) OsitaOgbu, Executive Director of the Centre for the
Advancement of Democracy and Rule of Law, visibly despaired
when assessing politics in Enugu. Governor Chimaroke
Nnamani's Ebeano faction is in control of the Enugu PDP, Ogbu
observed. Nnamani's faction Ebeano, loosely translated from
the Igbo meaning "where we are", has employed five people per
ward to make sure the elections will turn out in their favor,
Ogbu said.


4. (C) Ogbu said Senate President Ken Nnamani complained to
Obasanjo about the corrupt and closed nature of the Enugu
PDP, but the President ignored him. While angered, Senate
President Nnamani, rumored as an opposition Vice-Presidential
candidate, did not leave the PDP because he is scared, Ogbu
commented. Showing the level of acrimony, Senator Nnamani's
personal vehicle was wrecked by Ebeano partisans during a
recent PDP retreat in Enugu.


5. (C) Sullivan Chime, Governor Nnamani's handpicked
successor, was the former Enugu State Attorney General, and
like other PDP gubernatorial candidates not the obvious front
runner before his selection. Nathan Nwakamma, editorial
correspondent for the News Agency of Nigeria, told Poloff
that people consider Chime a political novice. Nevertheless,
Chime is the current favorite to win the gubernatorial prize.

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Governor Nnamani Avoids the EFCC, for Now
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6. (C) Ogbu, a consultant in the Southeast for Transparency
International, gave Poloff two books detailing the corrupt
practices of Governor Nnamani. The two books were authored
by C.C. Onoh, former Governor of Anambra State and a member
of Ohaneze Ndigbo, a pan-Igbo group. When he first ran for
Governor in 1999, Nnamani had to borrow money to fly back to
the U.S., Ogbu said. Since then, the Governor had enriched
himself and built a vast business empire during his eight
years in power.


7. (C) Ogbu said Governor Nnamani made a misstep when he
briefly campaigned for the presidency, not realizing Obasanjo
was still considering a third term. Obasanjo brought the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to bear on
Governor Nnamani and halted the campaign in its tracks.
Since Governor Nnamani ended his campaign, Obasanjo has
protected him, Ogbu said, by ordering EFCC lists to be
doctored and the Governor's name to be removed. Although the
EFCC arrested Enugu State Speaker Abel Chukwu, the move did
not have Obasanjo's support and would fail, Ogbu commented.

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In March, the PDP quietly replaced its Deputy Governor
candidate, Local Government Commissioner Sam Ejiofor, who is
under prosecution on charges of embezzling 5 billion naira
(approximately 39 million USD) in state money.


8. (C) Nwakamma told Poloff Governor Nnamani was not popular
and had made more enemies than friends in Enugu. According
to Nwakamma, Governor Nnamani is trying to become a Senator
so as to defend himself against a possible move by the EFCC.
Nevertheless, Nwakamma predicted the EFCC would go after the
Governor as soon as he lost his immunity. Fred Chukwueolobe
of the Action Congress (AC),perhaps expressing wishful
thinking more than reality, said Senator Nnamani had made a
deal with Obasanjo to jail Governor Nnamani once the Governor
left office.

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Opposition Splintered and Weak
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9. (C) The opposition, after brief discussion of uniting
behind one candidate, appears splintered and weak. According
to Ogbu, the AC, the All Nigerian People's Party (ANPP),and
the Labor Party (LP) are the three main opposition parties.
These parties could not agree on one candidate so the unity
concept fell apart. The bulk of the opposition supports the
AC and its candidate Dubem Onyia. LP candidate Okey Ezea has
a weak party structure, and his running mate for Deputy
Governor is a former 419 con artist. Fidel Ayoga of the ANPP
has some popular support but no money, Ogbu lamented.


10. (C) Ogbu told Poloff that the All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA),which briefly claimed victory in Enugu in
2003, has been riddled by dissension and crippled by the poor
health of its leader, presidential candidate Dim Chukwuemeka
Ojukwu. APGA has had problems getting recognized in the
State. For example, Enugu Vanguard correspondent Tony Edike
did not know who the APGA candidate was.


11. (C) Poloff met with Okechukwu Nkoloagu, Chairman of the
Enugu State All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Nkoloagu
gave a handout describing APGA's gubernatorial candidate,
businessman Eloka Ifeanyi. Nkoloagu said APGA won in 2003
but was robbed of its mandate by PDP rigging. APGA's
candidate in 2003, Ugochukwu Agballa, left the party in a
dispute. Nkoloagu denied the claim that Ojukwu was ill,
claiming that he was in excellent health. Nkoloagu predicted
an APGA victory and said the party would go to court if there
were problems.

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Comment
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12. (C) Enugu is a PDP-dominated state. The State features a
governor seeking to protect himself from EFCC prosecution, a
political machine of enforcers, a liberal dose of largesse to
smooth the process, and a weak opposition. Governor
Nnamani's Ebeano faction appears ready to carry Chime to
victory in April. Its only real worries are the EFCC and the
courts. Governor Nnamani chose Chime and is running for
Senator Nnamani's seat, but most importantly the Governor
will look to the next President for protection. The
opposition appears weak and disorganized, and the populace is
convinced the PDP will win, either fairly or by manipulating
the results in its favor. End comment.
BROWNE