TheCable

Sullivan Chime, the immediate-past governor of Enugu state, has said that Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, his successor, would determine whether he would remain in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or not.

Chime said this on Thursday when Ugwuanyi led stakeholders of Enugu east senatorial district to his country home in Enugu.

“If the governor tells us to remain in the PDP, we will do so but if he tells us to move elsewhere, we will sit together, discuss and then decide to either move or not,” he said.

“This is now a family affair and whatever the governor says is what we are going to do. As a people we must be together and that is the only way to progress.”

Chime appealed to residents of the state to support Ugwuanyi in order to sustain development in the state.

He described his eight years in power as “imprisonment”, adding that he made sacrifices to engender peace and unity in the state.

“What is worst is after coming out of the ‘prison’ your people will be insulting you,” he said.

“For eight years we navigated ourselves through the stormy waters, but we succeeded with your support. We are happy that our people have come to show appreciation for all we did.”

Chime expressed regrets that the toughest opposition he encountered during his time in office came from his own senatorial district but said he was able to weather the storm.

He commended Ugwuanyi for going round the state to see things for himself rather than depending on the handover note he received.

Responding, Ugwuanyi expressed readiness to carry all sections of the state along and promised to also consolidate on the achievements of Chime.

He said he would complete the ongoing projects initiated by his predecessor.

“Sullivan Chime remains my mentor in and out of office and he has charted a trajectory toward the development of our state,” he said.

“His work has not ended as we shall continue to feed from him.

“He pledged his administration’s determination to develop each and every part of state.”