By Mazi Jake
When lies fester unchallenged, they become reality. For Enyimba, it has been a tale of a party in Government trying to hijack the leadership from Kanu Nwankwo, hence the inordinate quest for power has left the club in difficulty.
This week, allies of the ambitious Sporting Director, Daniel Eke have peddled rumours that he led the team out of relegation and that is at best, laughable.
Rather than reveling in the imaginary victory of leading the team out of relegation, it is pertinent to ask: who dragged them down there in the first place? When the Deputy Governor foisted Eke on the club, where was Enyimba on the table?
In Kanu’s first season, he qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup and qualified for the group stages, after losing the league narrowly and controversially to Rangers. In his second season, he finished 6th and in the third season, the Government in their wisdom, led by the Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechi Emetu and the Commissioner for Sports, Sir Nwaobilor Ananaba foisted Eke on the club.
With the departure of Ifeanyi Ekwueme as Sporting Director, Kanu named the legendary Uche Okechukwu as Sporting Director. However, seeing that the Governor traveled out of the country and handing over to the Deputy Governor, the plot was hatched, to bring Daniel Eke, their errand boy, to the team to serve as funnel for the Commissioner who has since captured Abia Warriors, Abia Angels and Abia Comets—who have now pitiably gone on relegation to the NLO. Only Enyimba has not fallen to the dictatorship.
Kanu had announced Deji Ayeni as coach and the manager started work and managed 7 games in the NPFL, until the Deputy Governor suddenly stormed the stadium and unveiled Daniel Eke as Sporting Director and Emmanuel Deutcsh as coach.
The Deputy Governor pledged to take care of allowances and sign on fees (Paper Money) that the Government owed the players but nobody heard of the promises fulfilled. The unfulfilled promises by the Deputy Governor led Kalu Nweke, former captain of the side to meet Daniel Eke’s ally, Prince Worlu to speak against Kanu Nwankwo and the club, although they knew too well that the Government had not released the funds. Worlu had also begun campaigning through his page that Daniel Eke be made Chairman of the club.
It was Eke’s plot, alongside the Commissioner to paint the Chairman in a bad light in order to take over the club. The plan was simple : to cause chaos, make the team lose matches and act like the long-awaited Messiah from Bethlehem.
Daniel Eke claims to have helped the team escape relegation but he and his goons shy away from telling the world how Kanu spent his personal funds amounting to over 40 million naira, which have not been refunded, in the process. During that time the club battled against relegation, Nwaobilor did not release money to his boy, claiming that he was broke. They ran to Kanu for help who gave the club his personal funds to play the games and these covered traveling, bonuses and miscellaneous. Eke and Nwaobilor cannot deny as Kanu has receipts of over 45 million from his personal account which he gave to the club during the period Eke claims to have saved the club from relegation. With Eke and Nwaobilor being “broke” when the club was battling relegation, their inner wish would have happened but Kanu said no.
Since the Deputy Governor, Nwaobilor and Daniel Eke invaded the team, things have not remained the same for the People’s Elephants. From telling players to boycott their own games, celebrating his team’s loss and the board probing funds he could not account for, the presence of Eke has brought chaos to the side.
With their plans to wreck the team and remove Kanu, so that Daniel Eke can be announced as General Manager, they have done everything to destabilise the team, including disrupting team training with security agencies because the Sporting Director fought a stadium security officer.
Daniel Eke met the club in the upper part of the table and dragged the club to relegation zone for the first time in decades. There were interventions which Kanu did during that time that Nwaobilor and Eke cannot speak about, because their folly would be laid bare.
It is the same script: cause chaos, prod Kanu to fix it and then come out to claim glory.
Eke’s grand plan alongside his conspirator-in-chief was to relegate the club, get Kanu out and then be given the mandate to bring them back to the league, perhaps through slot buying and then a booming business must have begun.
Eke should not hit the drum in the bush and then he comes to the roadside to ask: “who is beating that drum?”
How did he save the team? When he assaulted his coach, Emmanuel Deutcsh for not making substitutions which he wanted. The assault is still before the police.
The Coaches Association in Nigeria, led by Ladan Bosso rose to arrest him for assaulting Emmanuel Deutcsh but it was Kanu who pleaded on his behalf, this he cannot deny. Maybe he would still be in cell as he and his boss were “broke” then.
Enyimba had no problems before the invasion of the club by the Deputy Governor and the Commissioner, with Eke as a decoy.
So, who really dragged Enyimba to the relegation zone? Daniel Eke and his co-conspirators. An obscure and inexperienced Daniel Eke had no hand in Enyimba’s survival. Will he tell the world the truth? Definitely not. He wants to become the Chairman.
