On Thursday, Hon. Eugene Odo has reportedly defied the consensus arrangement put in place by Governor Sullivan Chime by declaring his intention to contest the 2015 governorship election in the state.

Eugene Odo declares to the journalists at a news conference in the assembly complex that he had purchased the N11m form for the Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary election.

The Speaker was among a number of gubernatorial hopefuls from Enugu North Senatorial District, to whom the governorship position was zoned, who attended a stakeholders meeting summoned by Chime on September 26, where the governor presented the member representing Igbo Eze North /Udenu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as his anointed successor.

The stakeholders at the meeting thereafter adopted Ugwuanyi as the consensus candidate, but Odo was, reportedly, among the dissenting voices that kicked against the development.

The Enugu State PDP Caucus, and the State Executive Committee had also adopted Ugwuanyi as the consensus candidate.

But, despite the developments, the Speaker has gone ahead to declare his ambition to succeed Chime, saying that his experience as the head of the state legislature, which he said maintained a harmonious working relationship with the executive, would help him to serve the people of Enugu State, if elected in 2015.

He identified the economy, agriculture, poverty alleviation and healthcare as the issues that he would focus on.

“I believe that if we find ourselves on the other divide (executive arm of government), having led the legislature and also helped the executive, we are going to do better,” he said, and urged delegates of the PDP in Enugu State to vote for him during the gubernatorial primaries on November 29.

Responding to questions afterwards, Odo explained why he rejected the consensus arrangement that threw up Ugwuanyi.

Noting that the laws of the PDP did not welcome the adoption of consensus candidates by state chapters, he said the process adopted in arriving at the consensus arrangement was not proper.

“Of course we were in the meeting and we had our reservations – there is nothing wrong with consensus but the process through which it was arrived at was the problem.

“Our party frowns at consensus; the consensus that will make more sense to all of us is the consensus that will be arrived at on November 29 during the primaries.

“We hope that on November 29 the delegates will vote for the candidate of their choice,” he said.

He also dismissed insinuations that he had drawn a battle line with the governor by defying the consensus arrangement. The Speaker said, “I don’t think so, if we practice true democracy. The governor has not prevented anybody from seeking elective office.

“We hope we are practicing true democracy and the governor himself is a democrat – you may even be surprised that he will vote for me on that day.”

In the same vein, he refused to respond to reports that he had earlier backed Ugwuanyi during private discussions with the PDP ‘consensus candidate’.

Odo stressed that his decision to seek the PDP governorship ticket should not lead to misunderstanding or bad blood in the party. “There is no need for misunderstanding; this is just an expression of an interest to serve. “If your popularity is not accepted, you go back to the drawing board,” he said.