By Tony Adibe
As Nigeria prepares for the 2023 General elections, the association of different religious bodies and various ethnic groups residing in Enugu State under the banner of Brethren of Interfaith and Inter-Community Development Initiative, have demonstrated their support for the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Peter Mbah.
Addressing the gathering today in Enugu when the group paid a solidarity visit to the governorship candidate, the group’s Director General and Secretary, Christian Association of Nigeria, Enugu State Chapter, Barr. Onuorah Okeke disclosed that they decided to rally together because of someone like Dr. Mbah who has the credibility, competence, and capacity to deliver on the mandate of the people.
Onuorah, who emphasized why they decided to give Mbah maximum electoral support, said the decision was borne out of his previous good works in the state even as a private citizen who had constructed many kilometres of roads, built a state-of-the-art hospital for the people and still doing more to touch lives positively.
According to him, Mbah’s good works had given them hope of a better Enugu State if supported to win the election, adding that they had previously rejected some gubernatorial candidates because of their conviction that they’re no match to the PDP governorship flag bearer.
Also, the Patron of the group, who doubles as spokesman of the PDP Campaign Council in the state, Barr. Nana Ogbodo disclosed that the essence of the association was to mobilize huge votes for the election of Mbah and his running mate, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai.
The different religious bodies and various ethnic groups residing in Enugu State under the banner of Brethren of Interfaith, and Inter-Community Development Initiative in a group photograph with Mbah
The PDP spokesman who maintained that he accepted to be the group’s patron because of the ecumenical philosophy of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi , who has created “a home for all” in the state and enabled harmonised living for other ethnic groups and religious bodies.
Commending Ugwuanyi for the choice of Mbah as the candidate of the state’s ruling party, Barr Ogbodo declared that “Mbah’s project transcended sentiment, friendship and relationship to patriotism, competence, integrity, capability and a tortuous search for the best hands,” saying that the oil and gas mogul is the best thing that has happened to the state in recent times.
He further assured that they would continue to galvanize more support towards the realization of the collective project in the state. In their contributions, the Rector of Iwollo Polytechnic and a Catholic Priest, Fr. Nnamdi Nwankwo, and the Sarki Hausawa and leader of the Hausa Community in the state, Alhaji Abubakar Sambo gave the assurances that they would mobilize more voters by encouraging qualified electorate to collect their permanent voter’s cards and vote for the PDP candidate.
Sambo, while saying the northerners across the 17 local government areas in the state will vote for the PDP flag bearer, noted that they were privileged to have someone in the person of Mbah with peerless track records that will lead the state to enviable heights.
In a related development, the foremost socio-cultural group in the old Nsukka Zone, comprising Igbo-Etiti, Igboeze North, Igboeze South, Isi Uzo, Uzo-Uwani, Nsukka and Udenu Local Government Areas, Adada General Assembly, has pledged to embark on aggressive grassroots mobilisation for the election of Mbah and other PDP candidates in the forthcoming elections.
The association disclosed this when it paid a courtesy visit to the governorship hopeful in Enugu, saying Nsukka zone had resolved that the only governorship candidate they will support is the PDP candidate having gone through his robust programmes for the state.
Led by its Director General, Hon. Ogbonna Lazarus, the group said it supported Governor Ugwuanyi through their huge votes and will be adopting the candidacy of Mbah and his running mate in the March 11, 2023, governorship election.
Describing Mbah and Ossai as the best brains for the job, Ogbonna stated that their successful entrepreneurial backgrounds in the private sector will transform the state for better. Commenting on his endorsement, Mbah expressed his gratitude to the associations for their confidence and conviction in his ability to deliver a new state that will be insulated from national economic disaster to the people.
The entrepreneur who said his private sector experiences had exposed him to meeting and working with people from different backgrounds, noted that he had made friends and partners across the length and breadth of the country and beyond.
He further described Enugu State as warm and hospitable to people from different backgrounds, adding that he would continue to forge the robust and harmonious relationship which they had been enjoying under the present administration. While commending the people for keeping faith with the PDP in the past 23 years, Mbah assured them that they “will soon reap the dividends of their investment sevenfold” through the different economic packages his administration had already designed for them.
Appreciating the Adada General Assembly, Mbah pledged to make the Nsukka zone the “epicentre of development through industrialisation, revitalisation of dormant assets and job creation,” although he did not outline the dormant assets, he would revitalize assuming he is elected into office.
