Hon. Barrister Eni Uduma Chima Ph.D is presently the chairman, Ebonyi State Fertilizer and Chemical Company limited Board, a former house of Assembly member and a former Local Government Chairman of Edda Local government, in this interview with EZE SAMPSON takes us on a journey through his time at the Ebonyi House to the betrayals that cost him his 2023 House Of Representative elections among other crucial issues.
Excerpt:
The name Eni rings bell in the political space of Ebonyi State, can you tell us; who is Honourable Barrister Eni Uduma Chima?
In terms of politics, I am a young man who joined active politics in 2007, I joined as a member of Ebonyi State House of Assembly and I held that position for 2 tenures of 8 years and I acquainted myself very well. In fact in the mid-term report of the third Assembly where I joined, I moved motion and led the debate of the passage of 40% of the total bills. If you go to the House of Assembly Library you will see bills to my name numbering a cumulation of what constitutes 40% of the entire bills of that 3rd Assembly, the records are there.
Great to hear this, but something significant also happened while you were at the house, at a point in time you were suspended, can you tell us about that?
Well in the third House of Assembly I did not suffer any suspension, in fact I made my achievements apart from moving motions, and the person who conducts debates when it comes to government or executive bills is the leader of the legislative house. Apart from those government and executive bills, the other bills of the house of Assembly I moved the motion of 40% of them and within that period I also moved the motion that gave Ekoli Edda a development centre, the 00 of 2007, we made that law that gave us a Development center and I cited the headquarters at Ekoli Edda which has 3 out of the four wards making up the development centre.
And in the 4th House of Assembly was when the issue of suspension came up and it was all politics because for the first time the House Of Assembly had reason to impeach the first of a sitting speaker of the House Of Assembly and that happened and another was brought in and from thence, there was topsy-turvy based on underlying political intrigues and that cumulated to myself and my brother Hon. Chief Blaize Eze Oji and some of our colleagues getting suspended at one time. We fought the suspension and launched a comeback in which we impeached the speaker that suspended us and by the grace of God at the end of the day everything was resolved because there was no basis for our suspension it was based on superstition.
As ridiculous as it may seem you can ask people like Rt. Hon. Kingsley Ogbonnaya Ikoro or Hon. Chris Usulor and other members of the 4th House of Assembly who should know. Our offence was that we were seen in the dream by the then speaker plotting impeachment against him so he took proactive action so to say to avert his dream coming to past.
You have been seen as a man who have enjoyed cordial relationship with the executives in his political career. In the instance that you enjoyed such relationship with then former governor Chief Martin Elechi which warranted you to joining Labour party with him along with himself, can you throw more light on what led to the move of leaving the ruling party?
Under the guidance of his Excellency Chief Martin Nwancho Elechi CON, we had reason to join the Labour Party because of the crisis in the then PDP and the resolution was not forth coming and it was favourable to our political interest and disposition, so joining Labour was just taking a different path to the same destination of being in government to represent our people.
You pointed out that I have enjoyed cordial relationship with past administrations; Yes! It has been like that because I make my politics to be centred on the people, my politics is people centric and that being the case, it is not possible for administrations to do their politics without involving the people and when you want to involve the people in Edda where I come from, when you want to move with the masses at the grass root, I will be lucky to be recommended because I am doing my politics based on what our people want. I rely on the people, I did not join politics by the intervention or provision of a godfather. I joined politics on the bases of the popular support of the people and I have maintained that popular support, I have anchored on the people and in everything I do is centred on the people. I’m a piece of them and I know their pulse and heartbeat and I represent that at all times. I give feedback, I receive feedback and input from the people.
So politics, like the name implies involves dealing with people. Poly means; it’s many, multifaceted, multi-dimensional, it involves a multitude. So, if you’re doing politics and it’s anchored on the people you will continue to be relevant and by the way politics is local. So long as every politics revolves around the grass root and people are required to work in the field and turning in results, we will continue to be relevant in as a much as we anchor on the masses. Mind you, there may be political elites, members of the political class who may have their interests that are at variant with our own interest but the most important thing is what they majority of the people want. The minority may have their say but the majority will have their way.
At your brief sojourn in Labour Party, you enjoyed overwhelming support, it wasn’t long after the elections in 2015 you were seen and celebrated back to your former party, the PDP. What changed about your interest and the party?
Yes! We put in our in the 2015 House Of Reps in the Labour party and between us and our God we did our best and that election was actually won by us but for technical reasons we were not the ones announced, instead of going to the tribunal because the level of errors we saw in some of the institutions conducting the elections were still available for the institutions that may go through the adjudication of election petitions, so we said instead of dissipating resources and energy, we should adopt alternative dispute resolution and that done the then governor, His Excellency Engr. Chief Dave Umahi a very brilliant administrator and an astitute politician made some offers to us on the need to have peace in the area and for everybody to be accommodated in the spirit give and tajke no victor no vanquish and the offers where acceptable to us. He made his promise and I commend him highly, he’s a promise keeper, he kept the promise and we also made him proud in the position that we eventually had opportunity to serve. Together with him, we made Ebonyi state great, made Ebonyi proud and he laid the sure foundation for modern Ebonyi state and his achievements and projects are legions, they’re uncountable. They’re there for people to see, they are obvious. The achievements should be giving a different platform to be explained and not this particular presentation.
Wow!
Your involvement in political gatherings in a way, campaigns showcases entirely different aura, colourful and the number of persons who troop behind you connotes someone loved by his people, tell us what your secrete?
The secret is what I said earlier on which is what I am going to repeat, that my politics is based on the people, the masses I see them as the people I am representing and it is their interest I place above personal interest and I understand that once I lose their support I am no more relevant in politics and politicking, so continue to be relevant you must continue to minister to the needs of the people. Move along with them get their inputs and feedback and clear every cause or action you may intend or propose with them before bring it to limelight. So, that being the case they’ve always giving me their needed support because I do their will and carry out their aspirations and I am there for them, I’m a piece of the masses.
As a young man who has ascended from the state House Of Assembly to the LG Caretaker Committee Chairman as well as the Executive Chairman, what has been your relationship with the past and present Executive governors?
My relationship with past government has always been cordial and my relationship with present government is also cordial because the present government is an offshoot of the past government which I participated in, it is the same group of people, the governor that is on-sit now was groomed by the immediate past governor and he was properly groomed to up leadership and do exploits and to continue the good administration and government. The provision of security and ministration to the welfare of the people and that’s what he has continued to do.
Ebonyi has always been blessed with good leaders right from the beginning of democracy, every governor has been very unique in his way and they have made achievents, monumental achievents in their own way. From Dr. Sam Omiyi Egwu to his Excellency Chief Martin Elechi who is incidentally one he founding fathers of the state to his Excellency Engr. Chief David Umahi who brought radical and positive innovations to admirations and infrastructural development down to the current government who is a silent achiever, who is making a lot achievements and he’s so quiet about it because this is a time for work not time for politics.
Your political journey has been ascensional, but in your quest to realize your dream as a House Of Representatives in 2023 was met with a loss at the polls, could that be seen as a set back to your accelerative political motion?
Well, I contested in the 2023 general election for the position of House Reps, and I gave that outing my best shot unfortunately I couldn’t win for obvious reasons. The first reason I will bring to limelight is that I was sabotaged in the same party. I submitted my agents list and it was uploaded before the 10th of November 2022, the deadline was 15th and after uploading of the agent list the party Chairman and some other conspirators got back the agent list in guise that there was a mix up they wanted to correct, they removed all the agent I put and now put enemy agents who worked for my opponent, that sabotage is the reason for my loss. I won landslide in Edda but my margin of victory was affected in such a way that it couldn’t knock off what came up from Afikpo North, again in Afikpo North axis the party was sabotaged. The stakeholders couldn’t do enough; the sitting council then worked against the party with result that he lost the entire local government, lost in his community of two wards, lost in his own ward and lost in booth. And he was not even sober, rather he was celebrating with the PDP when they won and his argument was that my candidature was not popular but that was not correct because the governor, the then governor Chief Engr. Nwaeze Umahi who he accepted was popular also lost, I even did better by coming second but that one, because of his conspiracy and sabotage done between him and the other stakeholders, we came fourth in the senatorial election. APGA won us with over 8,000 votes, Labour Party won us, PDP won us we came fourth. Obscure political parties without structures without known politicians, first timers did better than us in the senatorial election but in the Reps I came second. I made strong showing maybe because I have been in that contest in 2015 but that notwithstanding I nearly …chuckles… but nearly does not kill a bird even it makes the shooter happy. We did our best and we leave everything to God and we are not bitter about the loss, contrary to the expectations of some domestic rivals and local opponents I lost the election but I was not bitter, I saw it as the will of God and I left everything for God and I will keep contesting until I win by the grace of God. So I’m preparing to contest again and I will keep contesting until I win and do that which God has put in my mind to do for Nigeria and for the federal constituency.
You have been heard over declaring to be a different politician, looking at the crop of politicians here in Ebonyi state what makes you think you’re a different politician?
Every politician has his or her own peculiarity, I think what makes me different is that I understand that everything about politics is the people, so I place the people first and it has been working for me, and of course not taking it for granted that it is God first but when it comes to politics the interest of the people is what I place first and the voice of the people is the voice of God.
Wow, we are glad to have you on this conversation and we will be glad follow up on your direction regarding next election circle.
I am always available for now I am focused and determined to give my assignment as Chairman Ebonyi State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited board my best, and I am already making Innovations there, we have range of products that I meat on ground especially the MPK 12-12-17, MPK 20-10-10, MPK 15-15-15, 27-13-13 and the rest of them. And I want to expand the company to also go into the production of herbicide, both selective and non-selective of herbicide. I want to improve on the capacity and revitalize the place and make it profit making venture for the state and employment generating outfit for the state that is my vision and I am committed to putting this on ground and making to happen quickly, giving new lease of life and turning around the place and giving them enabling law, law establishing Ebonyi State fertilizer and chemical company that is peculiar to it and minister to some rey area and peculiarities of the company other than what is contained in company and allied Matters Act. Once that is done my assignment there would’ve been concluded and I will brace up and look forward to representing our people at the national level.
Talking about Ebonyi fertiler, as an Agricultural focused state, what are the plans and modules of reaching the farmers with the produce across the 13 Local Governments?
We have registered agro dealers, Ebonyi state like you pointed out is an agrarian state, we have registered dealers of fertilizers who take their products to all the nooks and crannies of the state, we are in competition with other people who are also manufacturing fertilizers, but the different is that we don’t compromise standard. We do not put money first; we put quality and the people first because we have a have a name to protect so at times you see other products cheaper than our product but if you check the quality you will know that our own is actually cheaper in the long run, because the different raw materials are mixed in the correct quantities provided and prescribed by the national fertilizer quality control act and that’s what we abide by and so we our distributors, we agro dealers, our products are available, it’s part of our intentions to expand our operations and reach throughout South East and South-South, and part of the North Central for now.
Thank you sir for your time and we wish you well in your office as the Chairman of Ebonyi Sate Fertilizer and Chemicals Company.
Thank you very much!
