Chijioke Edeoga: Ex-PDP Bigwig, Ugwuanyi's Powerful Ally, Other Facts about LP's Guber Candidate
Although regarded as gentle and reserved, Chijioke Edeoga, the Labour Party's gubernatorial candidate in Enugu, is known to be a very famous and influential politician in the state, nay, Nigerian politics.
PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ click on “Recommended for you” and enjoy!
With the resounding victory of the LP in the southeast during the last presidential election, there are chances that Rt. Honourable Edeoga may be a serious threat to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has dominated the state for years.
In fact, a section of the southeast state sees Edeoga as the fully endorsed successor to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu.
Source: Facebook
Legit.ng has gathered some crucial facts about this influential politician who seems to love working behind the scenes.
Edeoga's education
Apart from graduating from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with a BA honours degree in English, Edeoga has LL.B degree and LL.M degrees from the Universities of Buckingham and London, respectively.
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
Added to these, Edeoga attended the prestigious ESUT Business School, where he bagged a Master's degree in Public Administration.
Edeoga's political career
Generally, Edeoga began his political trajectory in 1992 and rose on the ladder of regional politics till he found himself in Governor Ugwuanyi's cabinet, first as the commissioner for local government and second as the commissioner for environment in Enugu.
Between 1997 and 1998 Edeoga sought and was elected as the executive chairman of Isi Uzo LGA. And went ahead soon after to win the House of Representatives seat for Enugu East/ Isi Uzo Federal Constituency, holding the office from 1999 to 2003 on the platform of the PDP.
At the House of Reps, he was Chairman House Committee on information becoming the spokesman for the lower chamber at the time.
He was later the chairman of the committee on states and local governments, strategic positions that enriched his understanding of Nigeria and political leadership.
Not done with the legislature, he was appointed SLA to the Deputy President of the Senate on legislative matters and later got laden with the job of SA to the President of Nigeria on national Assembly matters/ senate Liaison.
A child prodigy of Nnamdi Azikiwe
A dyed-in-the-wool child prodigy of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Edeoga met the late former president early in life, and later went ahead to project in a critically acclaimed essay on the nationalist contained in the seminal book titled; Published in Zik, testimonies to a great African.
In November 2022, Edeoga shared an old photo of himself and the former president at an event via Twitter.
Achievements in PDP
Acclaimed to be one of the pivots of the PDP, Edeoga was the convener and chief organiser of the PDP in Isi Uzo LGA. He called the first meeting which affirmed PDP and gave the party a base in the area.
He was also a founding board member of the Intellectual Resource Center of the Peoples Democratic Institute and was a member of the disciplinary committee of the PDP in Enugu.
He also chaired the electoral committee for PDP Anambra state exco in 2011.
In July 2022, Edeoga defected from the PDP to the LP after losing the governorship ticket to Barrister Peter Mbah, who was unanimously endorsed by political stakeholders from the Enugu East senatorial zone.
Supreme Court affirms Labour Party's Edeoga guber candidacy in Enugu
The Supreme Court of Nigeria had affirmed the candidacy of Chijioke Edeoga as the validly nominated governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Enugu state gubernatorial election.
The panel led by Justice Kekekere Ekun JSC on Monday, February 27, dismissed an appeal filed by Evarest Edeh Nnaji challenging the candidacy of Edeoga.
The Apex Court held that Nnaji's appeal was dead on arrival owing to the fact that the appellant did not participate in the primary election held by the party.
Source: Legit.ng
