By Wilfred Eya
A socio-political organisation, Odimma Nsukka has assured that Enugu North senatorial zone would give the Enugu State Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) governorship candidate, Peter Mbah the highest number of votes in the 2023 general election.
The apex socio-political organisation in Enugu North said Nsukka zone will give the Mbah/Ossai ticket the highest votes in next year’s governorship election.
It expressed its unflinching support for the governorship candidate of the PDP, stressing that the Nsukka Zone, made up of six local government areas, would give him the highest number of votes that will land him in the Lion Building in 2023.
Speaking on behalf of the local government areas in Nsukka, on Friday at a meeting with the guber candidate in Enugu, a member of Odimma Nsukka and Uzo Uwani Local Government Chairman, Chukwudi Nnaedozie said they had the task as council chairmen to deliver the PDP gubernatorial candidate, saying they had done the first phase during the primary election.
He recalled the meeting the chairmen recently had with the Director General, Peter Mbah Campaign Organization, Chief Ikeje Asogwa, where he was told of their readiness to join the campaign trail to all the tours when electioneering activities commence.
“Our task is to deliver you and others in the party. On this note, I want to assure you that you will get the highest number of votes from the Nsukka Zone,” he added.
A former local government chairman of Udenu and member of the group, Frank Ugwu described Mbah as a good man with the perfect leadership characteristics for the top job, adding that the people of the state in general and Nsukka people in particular were satisfied with the choice of his candidature.
Ugwu who said the election was a walkover insisted that it was a promise of assurance the Enugu North senatorial zone had undertaken.
The former local government boss dismissed as fake news speculations on social media, maintaining that they were eagerly waiting for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to blow the whistle to go into the field and make a point.
The patron of the group, Dr Dan Shere, described members of Odimma Nsukka as grassroots mobilisers who had always won and are still winning elections in the zone.
He said the people would be partnering with Mbah by identifying with his robust programmes for them.
Also, the Leader of the group, Vita Abba extolled the commitment of the guber candidate for carrying them along, saying the appointment of Ifeanyi Ossai as his running mate, and Chief Asogwa as the Campaign DG, all from the Nsukka zone, were signs that Mbah was at home with the people of Nsukka.
“Odimma couldn’t have expected anything more than this from you because you have been showing us signs that you are going to work with Nsukka. You appointed our brother, Ikeje Asogwa as your Director General, campaign organization, and Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai as your running mate.
“We are here today to say we’re impressed with you. The way you welcomed us is taken as a great respect by us, the people of Nsukka. We are saying everyone in Nsukka is with you and we have identified you as our son,” he said.
In his remarks, the campaign DG, Chief Asogwa noted that the group is not only strong but also reliable, trusted and enjoys mass appeal and believed in results.
He stated that all the members of the group are active politicians with years of experience and grassroots antecedents who would deploy such experience to guarantee victory for the party in the forthcoming polls.
“By the time the results of the election are out, you will understand the magnitude of our ability. We will deploy our experiences to deliver your candidacy because we know how to do it,” Asogwa assured.
Expressing excitement over the visit, the PDP deputy governorship candidate said he was glad over the group’s support for the collective project.
According to him, Odimma Nsukka group was a creation driven to cure a vacuum in the leadership of Nsukka, activate the articulation of leadership and development programmes in the senatorial zone.
Ossai who hailed the resolve of the body to stand their ground during the imbroglio that greeted the pre-primary election activities by insisting that the right thing be done, further said they were field marshals with integrity who stood with the state governor on the decision to ensure equity, justice and fairness.
He appealed to the Odimma Nsukka leadership not to rest on their oars until final victory is won and charged them to prepare to embrace the shift in the leadership of the state which would lead to disruptive innovation and fundamental change in the structure of the state through the state’s modern programmes and policies.
Reacting to the endorsement by the Nsukka zone, Mbah hailed them for the bold decision they had been taking to ensure the right choice was made.
While insisting that the emergence of his candidature was possible because of the huge role played by the body, Mbah said they came out on the 21st of November, 2020, and took a bold decision when the argument on the zoning eligibility was raging, saying their role could not be glossed over.
He said: “What happened today couldn’t have been possible without you. You made today possible. You enabled our tagline, ‘Tomorrow is Here’.
“What the people of Nsukka did was largely driven by patriotism. My emergence as candidate of PDP was driven by patriotism. We had a clear programme that we explained to our party, how we want to transform our state, grow our economy through technology, enable a modern transportation system, and we equally explained the financing modules.
“The decision for my emergence was inspired by love for the state, patriotism and how to grow our economy. It’s a decision driven by a reason beyond friendship. We want to bequeath a legacy to our children in the state that will make us good parents and ancestors.
“I want to assure you we are in partnership and we have always been in partnership. This is our project; the ownership is yours.”
