A former minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Nnaji polled 7,424 votes to defeat Mr. Samson Nnamani, who got 600 votes in a governorship primary conducted by the chairman of the State gubernatorial committee, Hon. Austin Nwachukwu, in Enugu. In his acceptance speech, the former minister thanked the members of the party for entrusting him with the mandate and promised not to take it for granted.
He pledged that his administration would lessen the suffering of Ndi Enugu by ensuring that they are not overburdened under the guise of tax collection, which he said would give them a sense of belonging. Nnaji said: “I give this victory to the glory of God and to our Enugu people, who have been oppressed in the last three years and have been overburdened with excessive obnoxious taxes.
“Landlords are paying through their nose, hoteliers are crying, commercial motorcyclists (“Okada” riders) are out of existence, even those people carrying water on their heads pay tax. These are the people that we should be giving money to. The government should make provision to pay money to the less privileged.
“And that is the fulcrum of this struggle. The struggle to recover Enugu State, the struggle to rebuild Enugu State, and the struggle to industrialise Enugu State, so that we will arrest youth restiveness. We will build industries to give our people jobs. Jim Nwobodo is the only governor in this state that built industries, and those industries are what our governor is appropriating to himself. That will not happen in Enugu State.”
The Minister reiterated his intention to improve the living conditions of Enugu people within four years, stressing that he would only spend one term in office as governor if elected. Earlier, the chairman of the Electoral Committee commended the party faithful for conducting themselves in an orderly manner before, during, and after the primary election. Nwachukwu stressed that the outcome of the primary is proof that PDP is not only waxing strong but is positioned to win the election in Enugu State in 2027.
