By Tony Adibe
As Nigerians prepare for the next election, an Enugu-based civil society organisation, the Enugu Good Governance Group (E-3G), has predicted that the results of the last Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections in Enugu State would not substantially influence the outcome of March 11 2023 governorship election in the Coal City State.
The group emphasised that the candidate’s competence, capacity, and track record of verifiable accomplishments would count more than the party platform upon which the contest would be made.
“Now that the presidential election is over, it is our logical thinking that people will look beyond political parties and set out to elect the most competent and credible candidate with track record of accomplishments outside political offices and patronage to govern Enugu State at a time of national economic crisis and dire development challenges in Enugu State,” said the group in a statement issued in Enugu by its National Coordinator, Comrade Odinaka Okechukwu, after a post-mortem of the weekend’s election in the state.
E-G3, which also congratulated the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, on an impressive presidential election outing and victory in Lagos State, equally congratulated the people of the Coal City state, political actors, and the security agencies on the peaceful conduct of the election.
Okechukwu stated: “We congratulate Mr. Peter Obi and all the Obidients on a superlative outing in the last Saturday’s presidential election. This is a welcome development for the nation’s democracy. Irrespective of the final outcome, winning Lagos is a clear indication of Nigerians uniting for a great course beyond ethnic, political, and religious boundaries.
“However, truth is that the outcome of the 2023 National Assembly where the Labour Party cleared seven out of the eight seats does not reflect the popularity and political strengths of many of the eventual winners.
“Just as it happens when you have a strong and generally accepted presidential candidate, many candidates, some of who are of questionable character, and could not ordinarily have won elections on their own merits, latched on Enugu people’s love for Obi, to win National Assembly seats, as the electorate voted the Labour Party across board. “Therefore, anybody hoping to simply ride on the Peter Obi effect to the Enugu Government House or Enugu State House of Assembly will have him or herself to blame. Labour Party candidates had better utilise the remaining campaign window to market themselves robustly to the Enugu voters to stand a chance.”
