By Tony Adibe
A human rights activist and convener of a political pressure group known as Mbah Mandate Movement (M3-Group), Comrade Kennedy Iyere has declared that, despite all the threats and distractions going on, Nigerians would reclaim the mandate, which they gave to the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi during the Presidential election.
“You see this mandate; we should retrieve it. They are trying to arrest him, but we must retrieve that mandate. If they stop us from protesting in streets of Enugu and Abuja, will they stop us from protesting and campaigning in New York?,” Iyere said, adding: “it’s just a matter of time.”
He was reacting to the allegation of treasonable felony made against Obi by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government, which he said, was a setup in order to arrest him and cause more confusion in the polity to distract Nigerians from the mandate.
The activist also made a passionate appeal to the people of Enugu State, urging them to mobilise for the adequate protection of the mandate which they gave to the Governor-Elect, Dr Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDD), insisting that the mandate must not be allowed to be stolen.
Iyere was addressing guests during the official launch of the Mbah Mandate Movement (M3-Group), with the objective of mobilizing and campaigning aggressively for the total protection of Mbah’s victory and mandate from possible threats and distractions.
NewsBits reports that various interest groups in the State converged at the Amadeo Event Centre, Enugu to launch and publicly unveil a mandate protection movement for Barr Peter Mbah, the Governor-Elect of Enugu State, who contested and was declared winner of the 2023 guber poll under the umbrella of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.
Addressing the huge crowd, Iyere, who was the key speaker, explained that the need to defend the mandate of Peter Mbah was critical and crucial to the rapid development of Enugu State.
NewsBits learnt that the move was initiated by leading CSOs, while the project caught the interest of several pressure groups such as professional associations, religious groups, youth, and women pro-democracy networks as well as others.
The stakeholders who initiated this project believed that Mbah deserved the victory he got at the polls on March 18, 2023, affirming that he was the best among the four key candidates. Iyere restated that Peter Mbah’s administration will engender a responsible government whose priority would be to accelerate social and economic development for the sustainable well-being of Enugu State and its people.
“Tell me who else, if not Peter Mbah, his records of past performances have made him the most acceptable among the four key persons who contested for the 2023 Enugu guber seat. His victory was well deserved, and the results of the polls reflected the will of the people.
“Look at his achievements in the private sector where he distinguished himself, as a pacesetter. His Pinnacle Oil and Gas proudly has over 8000 employees. His Peter Mbah Foundation has shown compassion to thousands of persons through various humanitarian interventions.
“Among other contestants, show me anyone of them who has such an enviable legacy. Mbah has come to serve and to move Enugu State to its next realm of development and Ndi Enugu are aware of this.
“Therefore, those who are making efforts to distract his focus are hereby advised to distance themselves from him. This is the reason stakeholders have gathered today to launch the Mbah Mandate Movement, also known as M3GROUP. It is a widespread advocacy group whose aim is to safeguard the mandate of Peter Mbah”, Iyere said.
Also speaking, the Converner of CountryFirst Movement, Prof. Chris Nwaokobia described Mbah as a visionary leader capable of transforming the state.
According to him, “we must defend Mbah’s mandate because of his passion to serve and develop Enugu state.
“Leadership is all about commitment and competency and that’s why we have no other option to support and defend Mbah’s mandate because we believe he will do everything possible to take Enugu state forward.”
In her contribution, famous Nollywood actress, Patience Ozokwor said Mbah was elected because of his competence and capacity to deliver good governance.
Ozokwor said: “We believe that only a man who can feed a home, should be given a wife and that’s why we gave our mandate to Mbah to transform Enugu state because it will be a shame that people like us will sit and watch the Enugu state drag to the mud because of selfish interest
“We must protect his mandate. Mbah is our leader so we must support him to develop the state.” she said
Other Stakeholders at the event thanked Enugu people for giving their votes and their mandate to Mbah while assuring that Mbah still remained the “best and safest hand Enugu needs at this point as Governor.”
They appealed to the conscience of all and further reminded them of the need to prioritize the well-being of Enugu people above other personal or collective interests.
According to the speakers, the prioritization of the well-being of Enugu citizens is the primary reason Mbah has volunteered to serve as Governor, and called for the support of everyone while warning against distractions.
NewsBits reports that different interest groups attended the event such as Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) led by Enugu Network of Civil Society Organizations. Also, several groups attended the event, including NBA, PCRC, the Obidient Movement, NC Front, IPAC, CNPP, CRPP, TMG, League of Women Voters etc. Different youth and women groups, student organizations, religious entities and Artisan networks were among the participants.
