A few days to September 25, EMJ had promised a mother of all rallies, but not many took the EMJ Chairman, Mr Charles Egumgbe and the Secretary, Rita Mbah, seriously as nobody had seen them in the past mobilizing in any form for the state.
So, when the rain started on the eve of the rally, many thought the rally would witness a low turnout, but this was wrong as the 22,000 capacity Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, venue of the rally organised to woo President Goodluck Jonathan to run in the 2015 presidential election, was filled to the brim and overflowed with people.
The day was one the whole state literarily stood still for one person: President Jonathan, courtesy of Governor Sullivan Chime who EMJ is his brainchild.
On D-Day, no one was left out: the old and the young, the high and the low, the elite and the ordinary folks. They came in their large numbers and emptied into the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium to join Chime and other eminent personalities from the state and beyond, the EMJ had gathered for the rally.
As the duo of Egumgbe and Mbah had not been tried in any mobilization effort in the state before, they stunned everybody by the large crowd they pulled out for Jonathan at a very short notice.
Ostensibly happy, those who attended the rally are now singing their praises as good grassroots mobilisers in Enugu who could blend effectively well with the local government chairmen in the state to make their people support a common cause.
On the day of the rally, early in the morning, hundreds of metres away from the stadium, one needed not to be told that something spectacular was taking place in the city.
Security operatives and their vans were seen at strategic locations near the stadium just as cars lined up along the road in their thousands.
In the stadium, people competed for space and the place looked like a sea of human heads.
As people trooped into the stadium, they were screened for the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease at the entrance, but when the surge became unmanageable it was stopped to aid easy movement.
At 1:30p.m, the stadium was filled to the brim and the event started with the recognition of dignitaries who had come from far and near.
Those in attendance were President Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by his vice, Arc. Namadi Sambo; former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani; Governors of Enugu and Anambra states, Sullivan Chime and Willie Obiano respectively; former governor of old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo; former governor of Enugu State, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo; Anambra-born billionaire businessman, Prince Arthur Eze; Minister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo; Chris Uba, among others.
The man at the centre of the event, the Chairman of EMJ, Chief Egumgbe, who was satisfied with the outcome of the rally, said the crowd had gathered to show their continued solidarity and support for President Jonathan in the upcoming 2015 presidential election.
He promised that his movement would remain committed to seeing that Jonathan is re-elected next year, urging all those that were at the rally to also key into their new project.
Afterwards, speaker after speaker mounted the podium to preach, proclaim and confirm the same cause: Enugu State’s unanimous solidarity for President Jonathan and its commitment to see that he was re-elected.
Responding, the president through his vice, Sambo, thanked those that attended the rally for their overwhelming support, saying “I quite agree with all those who said that there is no need for further campaign in Enugu, the crowd has said it all”.
He also expressed satisfaction with the level of transformation Governor Chime had brought to Enugu State, which cuts across all sectors of the state economy, adding that his efforts had helped to turn the state into a choice destination for both public and private ventures.
President Jonathan also commended the governor for building a heliport for the Nigeria Police, pointing out that the facility was a magnificent milestone by the state government in the fight against crime.
His words: “I commend the governor of Enugu State for this laudable project, which is the first by any state in the country. I urge other states in the federation to emulate the Enugu State government by investing in such projects that will assist the police in the security of lives and property of our people. The good works of Chime has given us the momentum to continue to show him our support”.
Earlier in his speech, former Senate President, Chief Nnamani, assured the president of the state’s maximum support and solidarity for him in 2015, pointing out that “we want to make it very clear to Mr President that Enugu is very intact and can deliver by the year 2015. The crowd here is an evidence to show that there is no other structure that can deliver the mandate to our people other than this political machine (PDP).”
Nnamani poured encomiums on the state governor, saying he is a silent achiever.
“There is a big difference between good governance and mere rhetoric. You all are lucky to have Chime as your governor. If there is an opportunity for a third term, I am sure that Enugu people will gladly vote for him for a third tenure”, he said.
Also speaking, Governor Chime, who was elated on what his group could do under a short notice, pointed out that the state and, indeed, all other states in the South-East would come out en masse to show their solidarity and support for President Jonathan during the 2015 presidential election.
This, he said, was due to the president’s continued support and transformation agenda in the state and the region.
His words: “I want to re-affirm the point that Enugu is 100 per cent PDP and we are all out to show our solidarity to the president come 2015. I can assure you that by the end of the vote casts in 2015, any vote cast for any other party outside the PDP for the presidential slot must be one cast in error”.
He recalled that no other presidential candidate had the courage to campaign in Enugu in the 2011 elections, adding that the situation would even be worse for opponents in the 2015 elections.
“All we have been doing in Enugu since the beginning of this administration, we owe it to President Jonathan and to the PDP. It is through their collaboration that we have been able to deliver. So, I thank you all very much for coming to show your support for our dear president”, Chime said.
Also, in his address, the former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, pointed out that President Jonathan and his people are a winning team and, therefore, needed not to panic.
“When you have a winning team, you don’t need to change it. So, we assure the vice president to go and tell Jonathan that Enugu State is sealed and delivered to him. So, as far as the state is concerned, the campaign is finished,” he said.
Also speaking, Prince Eze told the gathering that it is only Jonathan who comes from a very poor background like most of them that would liberate them.
The billionaire noted that Jonathan had performed exceedingly well that the people of Enugu State and the entire South East should continue to support him.
Eze also praised Governor Chime, saying that he has done very well in the state where he too resides.
Also, former governor of Enugu State, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, who was also former national chairman of PDP, promised that Enugu would deliver 100 per cent vote cast to President Jonathan, pointing out that “it is going to be better than the 98 per cent vote cast in Enugu State that was recorded in 2011”.
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Day Chime’s group shut down Enugu for Jonathan |
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