2 Top Posts Ekweremadu May Contest For In 2023 As He Could Alter Political Permutations In Enugu

Senator Ike Ekweremadu who represents Enugu West Senatorial Zone will be exactly 20 years in the Senate in 2023.

He went to the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly in 2003 and he was the Deputy Senate President for 12 years. Having come this far politically, the big question is, which post is Ekweremadu eyeing to contest for in the 2023 election cycle? This article will discuss two posts he may contest for in 2023 depending on how things play out.

(1). He may contest for the post of Governor of Enugu State. Having stayed in the Senate for 20 years, Ekweremadu may be contesting for the post of Governor of his state in 2023. By 2023, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi would complete his second term in office. It means that the coast could be clear for Ekweremadu to contest for the post.

But, there are major hurdles that he may face which can affect the governorship bid in 2023. One, the zoning formula in Enugu may affect Ekweremadu if he decided to contest for the post of Governor.

Going by that zoning formula, Enugu East Senatorial Zone is supposed to produce the next Governor of the State. This was backed by an in-depth report by The Guardian. However, if Ekweremadu insists on running for the post of Governor, it may require that he would alter the political arrangement and permutations in Enugu State and go the extra mile to work his way through.

Another factor that may affect him is the choice of Governor Ugwuanyi on who to back to succeed him. Who Ugwuanyi may choose to back a different candidate. He may decide to choose someone from Enugu East to maintain the zoning tradition which also favored him to become the Governor in 2015. In that case, that will pitch the Governor against Ekweremadu who will be going against the zoning arrangement if he insists on contesting for the post of Governor in 2023.

(2). He may still contest for the Enugu West Senate Seat. In 2015, Ekweremadu was said to have tried to push for the post of Governor. But it did not work. Then, Governor Sullivan Chime backed Hon.

Ugwuanyi to win the post. Instead of losing everything and maybe staying out of power, Ekweremadu decided to contest for the Senate seat again and he won. There is no tenure limit for the Senate post. Instead of being without a post in 2023 if the reported governorship bid does not work out, he may contest for the Enugu West Senate seat which he has held for about 18 years now. This may be the last resort anyway.

By Chimezie Ochionuoha

Political/Public Affairs Analyst