By NewsBits
The Conference of United Political Parties, CUPP, has commended the voting pattern of the people of Enugu State during last Saturday’s National Assembly election. CUPP spoke at a press briefing in Enugu on Wednesday, where it described the victory of many Labour Party candidates as historic.
The group urged the people of the State to brace up for the governorship election on March 11, 2023, noting that the choice would be based on track record not on any political party.
Chairman of the CUPP, Ogbonna Festus Okafor, who hailed the turnout of the electorates, said the fallout showed that it was no longer business as usual. According to him, “What it means is that Enugu people are now very much politically active. May we, therefore, start by congratulating the people of the State for the outcome of the exercise.
“Without mincing words, the outcome of the National Assembly elections in Enugu State is a clear testament to the fact that power indeed belongs to the people. Before now, elections in Enugu were highly predictable. But all that changed; all permutations were made nullity by the outcome of the polls.
“We at the CUPP make bold to say that the success is well-deserved, considering that the people have yearned for change since 1999. It has not been wonderful that a particular set of people dominated the political space since 1999.
“We say congratulations to the Enugu people; they are the winners; they are the real heroes of democracy. To the winners, we urge them to be magnanimous in victory; they should learn from what happened during this election. It is no longer business as usual.
“Those in positions of authority must be responsible and accountable to the masses. For Ndi Enugu, they have written their names in history for deepening the country’s democracy. History will never forget those who were part of this positive move.”
On the governorship election, CUPP said any claim of endorsing a particular governorship candidate should be ignored.
“For us in the CUPP, we want to restate that Enugu State belongs to all of us; that all the candidates in the election are our brothers and sisters. The CUPP Enugu State chapter is supporting all of them. They all have their positive plans for the people of Enugu State.
“Having said this, we urge the good people of Enugu State to ignore the claims that we have endorsed any of the governorship candidates. Any such claims on the guise of the Coalition does not exist anywhere.
“We urge the candidates to use the remaining days and market themselves to the Enugu people. In the next couple of days, an opportunity will come for a decision to be taken one way or the other.”
On the outcome of the presidential election, CUPP urged the people of Enugu State not to lose faith in the system, stressing that “already, Enugu is one of the greatest beneficiaries of the political tsunami that swept across the country.
“The voting pattern by the Enugu people during the National Assembly election is enough to serve as a thesis for higher degree students.
“They should, therefore, not be discouraged by the presidential election outcome but come out again in their numbers and vote for the right candidates during the Governorship election on March 11.
“As witnessed during the NASS election, it is now about the character of individuals standing for elections and their records in service.”
