CHUKS NWEZE, from Enugu reports that as political activities mounts the centre stage in the state, anxiety among the actors heightens due to the uncertainty of who will eventually emerge victorious in the March 11 guber polls
Anxiety over 2023 guber
Any date set for an important event usually evokes anxiety from among stakeholders who would wish the day comes to pass or does not come because of its desirability or otherwise, respectively.
Either way, the event evokes feelings, sometimes sleepless nights or the eagerness or excitement that the event should eventually come or be cancelled.
In a political a contest, the anxiety that builds up for an expected election date is higher because candidates involved in such election will always wish that the day would come quickly, especially, if they believe that victory would be theirs, while those who are not sure of victory in the expected election would pray silently that the election would never come.
Since 2019, shortly after the general elections, the year 2023 by convention, was set for another round of general elections, politicians since then have been on their toes scheming to get their party tickets and how they would eventually emerge victorious.
What created such anxiety was that in the past, some persons who had been declared winners of elections later turned out to be losers because of courts’ or tribunals’ verdicts which upturned the outcome of such elections and victories turned out to be defeats.
Probably, to end such hiccups after elections, the present Electoral Act deemed it fit that pre-elections matters should be sorted out before elections proper so that incidences of upturned victories would not take place.
Enugu scenario
In Enugu state, the build up to the Enugu state governorship election billed for March 11, 2023 is not different.
Since 2019, politicians have been involved in one activity or the other, silently and surreptitiously trying to woo the electorate ahead of the 2023 d-day.
Consequently, they instituted scholarships, delivered lectures and engaged in anything that would project them to the public or endear them to the electorate should they eventually make their intentions known.
Now the candidates have been chosen for different elective positions by their parties are now engaged in open electioneering campaigns to woo the electorate by engaging in interactions with communities, units and wards or engaging in state rallies as well as street to street campaigns to ensure that on the date of voting, they would be favoured with the votes.
Today, radio stations have been awash with advertisements and jingles of candidates running for different elections especially those angling for the governorship position.
Enugu guber candidates at a glance
As usual, the people are eager to know who would emerge victorious among the four major political parties in the state – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Peter Mbah; Hon. Chijoke Edeoga of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Frank Nweke jnr of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Chief Uche Nnnaji aka Nwakaibeya of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Though there are many others, political watchers are on the look out for any of the four to clinch the exalted position.
This could be seen even in the way media organistions and corporate organisations have been talking about them and even inviting them for programmes to the utter neglect of the many other gubernatorial candidates in the race to the Enugu State Government House, come March 2023.
For instance, recently, business communities in Enugu state gathered under the auspices of Enugu Chamber of Commerce , Industry, Mines and Agriculture, ECCIMA, where they invited the above mentioned candidates for them to showcase what they would do to improve the economy of Enugu state and by extension the business communities and none of the other candidates was invited.
Just recently too, the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu came to Okpara Square to woo the people of the South East and urged the electorate to vote him and other candidates of the party which included the governorship candidate, Chief Uche Nnaji.
In the same vein, the Labour Party candidate, Mr. Peter Obi also came to Okpara Square to solicit for votes.
Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu state, came to the same Okpara Square the other day and openly gave flags to the candidates of the party and the state where the governorship candidate, Mr. Peter Mbah expounded how he would transform Enugu if given the opportunity to rule the country.
Enugu East adopts Mbah
Before the PDP rally at Okpara Square, the entire people of Enugu East senatorial zone, comprising Isi-Uzo, Enugu East, Enugu North, Enugu South, Nkanu East and Nkanu West converged in Okpara Square and adopted Mr. Peter Mbah as their sole candidate for the forthcoming election.
They said that it was in Mbah that they were well pleased and they were wholeheartedly endorsing him for the governorship position and thanked the governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who they said fulfilled their quest that an Enugu East citizen should succeed him to maintain the rotational principle holding sway since 1999.
Speaking at the endorsement rally which was attended by prominent indigenes of Enugu East such as the former governor of old Anambra state, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Senator Gil Nnaji, Dr. Ben Nwoye, the former chairman of Enugu APC and serving house of representative members from the zone. Other attendees were the House of Assembly members from among others.
Chief Jim Nwobodo, flanked by his wife, Patricia expressed joy that Mbah was chosen as the flagbearer of PDP for the election and thanked Ugwuanyi for being a gentleman to have heed their request.
Nwobodo said that Mbah was the man to beat because to him, PDP since 1999 had been winning virtually all the elective positions in the state and believed that 2023 would not be an exception.
“When you talk about Enugu, you talk about PDP. PDP Enugu is one party that has never lost election. I believe that Peter Mbah is already governor. People may abuse you and say all sorts of thing but what God says is what counts. Peter Mbah, you are going,” Nwobodo assures.
Ugwuanyi canvasses vote for Mbah
Ugwuanyi while speaking at the occasion said that the endorsement of Mbah by his people transcended political boundaries and urged the people to collect their PVC and be ready to make the endorsement have meaning by voting Mbah into office.
Chairman of the organizing committee of the endorsement rally, and Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Edward Ubosi said that they were unanimously endorsing Mbah as the sole candidate of Nkanu people for the governorship position. “Today, January 20, 2023, we have adopted Peter Mbah as our sole candidate.
“We know that there are other candidates but we all agreed that Peter Mbah is our sole candidate for 2023. The heaven has opened and the Spirit has descended and rested on Peter Mbah,” Ubosi said.
Like Ubosi and other speakers at the occasion, Mbah is the man to beat come March 2023.
The endorsement rally was not the only thing going for the PDP governorship candidate because many communities and faith based organizations have been giving Mbah their blessings and have been assuring him of victory in the forthcoming polls because of his sterling manifesto of transformation which they believe that given the opportunity, Enugu would wear a new look under Mbah as governor.
Mbah gets more endorsement
The other day, the entire members of the Christ Ascension Church in Enugu state, with one voice endorsed Mbah and said that they would vote for him en masse believing that when he is sworn in, he would remember them in his programmes.
Apart from all these endorsements, the Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike who was present at the official flag off of the electioneering campaign of PDP in Enugu said that Mbah would clinch the seat come March.
Wike who came with other G-5 governors – Ortom, Makinde, Ugwuanyi because Ikpeazu could not come because of his bereavement over the demise of the governorship candidate of PDP in Abia State, Ikonne – expressed confidence that Mbah would win.
Looking at the mammoth crowd at the rally and the glowing speeches made by prominent party chieftains, Wike said that, “it is obvious that Mbah has won.”
This he said and urged all the party members to continue to support Mbah to ensure his victory so as to consolidate on the many achievements of Gov. Ugwuanyi who would be saying goodbye to the Lion Building come May 29, 2023 as the executive governor of Enugu state.
No doubt, apart from the good manifesto that Mbah presented to Enugu people, the fact that PDP had never lost any governorship election since 1999 is a clear testimony that Mbah might indeed be the next governor of Enugu State.
“What makes you think that any other candidate would win the next election other than Mbah? Can’t you read the handwriting on the wall, Mbah is as good as the next governor of Enugu State. Tell me, who among the other candidates can beat Mbah?” Mr. Jude Ikedieze, a political analyst asks.
Ikedieze is not alone on the belief that Mbah is the man to beat in the race to Enugu 2023. Mr. Onyema Egwu, a journalist said that he has looked round and has seen other candidates manifesto and had come to the conclusion that Mbah must surely win.
“Don’t you see the people following him? All who is who in Nkanuland and Enugu State as a whole are following him. It is just a question of time and the deed will be done,” Egwu said. “Any man that knows Mbah had better draw close to him because he is going to become the next governor of Enugu state not withstanding what detractors are saying about his past when he was in government,” Egwu concluded.
