Dr. Ben Nwoye wearing Agbada with Asiwaju Tinubu cap during the PDP rally
By Tony Adibe
It was a moment of pleasant surprise as key Enugu APC stakeholders visited a political rally put together by the people of Enugu East Senatorial District. The APC leaders eloquently endorsed the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Dr. Peter Mbah, as their sole candidate for the election in March 2023.
Led by a former President of the Senate, who was ably represented by the immediate past chairman of the party in the state and presently, a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Dr. Ben Nwoye, the key APC stakeholders said that their decision to endorse the PDP governorship candidate, Dr. Mbah was borne out of their conviction about his character, manifesto, comportment, depth of heart, judicious temperament and ability to lead.
Dr. Nwoye, who spoke on behalf of Send Ken Nnamani, disclosed that the APC chieftains at their leadership meeting were of the view that “leadership of people in Enugu State should not be by party. The leader of Enugu State will be elected by the citizens of Enugu. Nkanu people have had their consensus to pick you (Mbah). I am an APC member, but I and my group will vote for you.”
But speaking specifically for himself, the former State Chairman of the APC explained that as a member of Contact and Mobilisation of the APC PCC, they will turn everything to Dr. Mbah after supporting their party’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the February 25 election.
According to Dr Nwoye, “I am here in two capacities. I will talk in my capacity and I will also talk because I was sent here by our leader, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Ken Nnamani, the only GCON we have in Enugu State.
“He sent me here to represent him because we have looked at everything beyond your (Mbah’s) manifesto which some of the candidates still don’t have. We studied your manifesto sir; we studied your character; we studied the content of your comportment; we studied the depth of your heart; we looked at your judicious temperament; your ability to lead sir and we concluded in that leadership meeting that leadership of people in Enugu State should not be by party.
“The leader of Enugu will be elected by the citizens of Enugu. Nkanu people have had their consensus to pick you. I am an APC member, but I and my group will vote for you. Peter Mbah is the incoming governor of Enugu State. Speaking in my capacity, I am a member of the APC PCC but after February 25, we are going to turn everything to Barr. Peter Mbah.”
Describing Governor Ifeannyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State as “the most performing governor of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, my brother and my friend,” Dr. Nwoye thanked the governor for keeping faith with the promise he made to the people of Enugu East Senatorial District that equity, fairness, and justice will take pre-eminence in respect of the zone that will produce his successor in 2023.
Also, the former Governor of old Anambra State and former Senator who represented Enugu East Senatorial District, Senator Dr. Jim Ifenayichukwu Nwobodo, also expressed gratitude to Governor Ugwuanyi “for being a man of his words.”
Senator Nwobodo assured the governor that the people of Enugu East Senatorial District will join hands and campaign to ensure that he goes to the Senate in appreciation of his exemplary leadership role in the emergence of Dr. Mbah from the district as the PDP governorship candidate.
The former governor also lauded Governor Ugwuanyi for entrenching peace and good governance in Enugu State despite the nation’s economic and security challenges, stressing that the governor deserves to go to the Senate to do more for his senatorial district in particular and the state in general.
Announcing that the PDP will record a landslide victory at the polls in Enugu State as it has always done since 1999, Senator Nwobodo, who attended the event with his wife, Mrs. Pat Nwobodo, stressed that Dr. Mbah will win the governorship election in the state. He, urged the people of the state especially those who have not collected their PVCs to do so, hold on strongly and vote for the PDP during the elections.
