As endorsements of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State’s bid to represent Enugu North Senatorial District in the National Assembly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continue to gather momentum, youths of Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area of the State, under the umbrella of Great-16, have thrown their weight behind the governor and the PDP.
The Great-16 comprising youths from the 16 electoral wards in Igbo-Eze South LGA also threw their weight behind the governorship candidate of the PDP in Enugu State, Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, his running mate, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai, the PDP candidate for Nsukka/Igbo-Eze South Federal Constituency, Chief Engr. Vita Abba, the party’s candidate for Igbo-Eze South Constituency, Hon. Vitus Okechi, and all other candidates of the party.
Similarly, the elated people of Nachi community in Udi LGA, Enugu West Senatorial District, during their ‘Thank-you’ and solidarity visit to Gov. Ugwuanyi at the weekend, equally declared their support for the PDP and its candidates in the forthcoming elections.
They pledged to deliver all the candidates of the PDP at the polls, including galvanising and mobilising their friends and in-laws from Enugu North Senatorial District to vote for Gov. Ugwuanyi to represent the district at the Senate.
Also on a ‘Thank-you’ and solidarity visit to Gov. Ugwuanyi at the weekend were the people of Mbulujodo Nike Autonomous Community led by their traditional ruler, HRH Igwe Gabriel N. Okoh and the State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Greg Nnaji.
They equally declared their unflinching support for the governor and pledged to vote overwhelmingly for all the candidates of the PDP in the forthcoming elections in the state including the party’s governorship candidate, Barr. Mbah, who hails from Owo, a neighbouring community in Nkanu East LGA.
Led by the leader of Great-I6, Hon. Chimezie Darlington Mama, on a solidarity visit to the governor at the Government House, Enugu, the Igbo-Eze South youths said they are “people in charge of local government, wards, and down to the polling units.”
Disclosing that the Great-16 is an extension of Enugu State Youth Parliament, Igbo-Eze South LGA Chapter, Hon. Mama added that “it has been long we have been existing, we have been operating and we have been delivering at the grassroots.”
The group’s leader commended Gov. Ugwuanyi for accommodating and empowering the youth in his administration, stressing that the feat is unprecedented in the annals of Enugu State.
Hon. Mama also applauded the governor for the peace and good governance his administration has entrenched in the state as well as his humble disposition. He said: “We have tried to learn that from you (Ugwuanyi) but it seems very difficult.”
Corroborating Mama’s remarks, Ikenna Ugwuanyi emphasised the vital role of the youth in the forthcoming elections and assured Gov. Ugwuanyi that they have already compiled facts and figures of his administration’s remarkable achievements and deployed other genuine strategies that would “attract young persons to vote for you and the PDP.”
Expressing profound gratitude to Gov. Ugwunayi for the establishment of the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS), Igbo-Eno, Enugu State, another speaker, Hon. Valentine Udoka Eze, pointed out that Igbo-Eze South LGA as one of the host communities of the medical university stands to benefit immensely from the milestone achievement.
“Your Excellency, you have done noble in terms of education, infrastructure, peace and security, among others. The best graduating students are from Enugu State in both JAMB and WAEC, among other feats. It is courtesy of what you have done in the education sector. So we are thankful to you for that. The Federal Polytechnic, Ohodo, is in the land of Nsukka among many other achievements. So, we say thank you very much, Your Excellency,” he added.
Presenting the address by the people of Nachi community, the President General of Nachi Development Union (NDU), Dr. Chukwuma Ogugua Orji, explained that they came to thank Gov. Ugwuanyi for giving them a sense of belonging after decades of neglect by previous administrations.
Thanking Gov. Ugwuanyi for appointing their illustrious son, Engr. Kene Eze, as the Transition Committee Chairman of Udi LGA, which he served out meritoriously, Dr. Orji told the governor that “you broke that yoke of abusive neglect of Nachi community” by that singular act for “it is a known fact that since the return of democracy in 1999, no son or daughter of Nachi had occupied any elective or appointive position in Enugu State.”
The Nachi people went further to appreciate the governor for the selection and subsequent recognition of their Traditional Ruler, HRH Igwe Cosmas Chizoba Ezeumeh, stating that “this also wouldn’t have been possible without your kind considerations.”
Also lauding Gov. Ugwuanyi for Enugu’s enviable status as one of the peaceful and safest states in the country, the people of Nachi pledged their unalloyed solidarity, support and loyalty to the governor and his exemplary leadership, stressing: “We pledge to continually pray for you and support your leadership; we shall equally transfer same support to all the PDP candidates in the forthcoming elections in the state.”
Also lending their voices, the Chairman of Udi LGA, Hon. Philip Okoh and the former Transition Committee Chairman of the council, Engr. Eze paid glowing tribute to Gov. Ugwuanyi for being a role model for others to emulate and reassured him of the determination and resolve of the people of Nachi to vote massively for the PDP in 2023, stressing that the community has been delivering the PDP 100 percent since 1999.
On their part, the people of Mbulujodo Nike Autonomous Community expressed sincere gratitude to Gov. Ugwuanyi for the appointment of their illustrious son, Engr. Nnaji as a member of his cabinet since the inception of his administration in 2015, the election and subsequent recognition of HRH Igwe Okoh as the traditional ruler of the community as well as the leadership role the governor played in the emergence of Barr. Mbah as the PDP governorship candidate in the state.
They said that their people are delighted at the choice of Barr. Mbah because of his sound track record in both private and public dealings as well as the inherent benefits attached to the brotherhood they share with his community as neighbours.
Reiterating their support for Gov. Ugwuanyi, Barr. Mbah and all other candidates of the PDP, the people maintained that “Mbulujodo is PDP, we will vote for the PDP all the way.”