By Tony Adibe
The Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has landed the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, which upheld his victory in the March 18, 2023, governorship election in the state, insisting that it was consistent with the mandate freely given to him by the people of the State.
Governor Mbah also described the judgment as victory for the people and transformation of the state in line with his manifesto, and assured that he would never fail the people. He further said the judgment had put paid to falsehoods peddled to malign the people’s government.
Commenting specifically on the appellate court’s verdict, Mbah said: “as you are aware, a few minutes ago, the Court of Appeal in Lagos, dismissed an appeal filed against us by the Labour Party gubernatorial candidate.
“The judgment of the appellate court is consistent with an earlier dismissal of the same matter filed before the Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal; and both judgments are in line with the mandate freely given to us by the great people of Enugu State in the March 18 gubernatorial election. They further reaffirmed our belief in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.
“Let me also say this as a lawyer: this judgment reaffirms my belief and trust in the irrevocable will of the judiciary. I want to use this opportunity to commend the Justices of the Court of Appeal for standing firmly by the sacredness of the temple of justice.
“I want to also thank the great people of Enugu State for their endurance in the face of palpable untruths purveyed just to paint their government black. Therefore, with this judgment, we are going to deploy more energy and commitment to bring development at the doorsteps of Ndi Enugu.
“Permit me also to state that this is not a victory for Peter Mbah as a governor; it is victory for water that will run nonstop in Enugu city homes in less than 20 days from today. It is also a victory that would make the length and breadth of Enugu State a road construction site. It is also a victory that would ensure that we have smart schools across the 260 Wards of Enugu State.
“Let me assure Ndi Enugu that we are not going to let them down. We are going to deploy every breath and fibre of our being to consolidate on the gains we have made so far. Again, I want to express my profound gratitude to the great people of Ndi Enugu for their tremendous support and unimpeachable trust they reposed in us. We will never fail them. Indeed, the long-awaited tomorrow is right here with us”.
