By Prince Ejeh Josh
…It’s our project and we’ve taken absolute ownership – council boss
There was almost stampede on Thursday at Owo and Amagunze communities, headquarters of Amankanu and Nkanu East Central Development Centres in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State as mammoth crowds, numbering in thousands, took over various roads and streets to welcome the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Peter Mbah, to the town-hall meetings initiated by the candidate to interface with the people living in the state.
The overwhelming jubilant crowd could be seen adorned with colourful uniforms, glamorous outfits, cultural regalia, including masquerades, cultural troupes, wielding solidarity placards, support insignias, PDP umbrellas, posters with different support messages, chanting in solidarity of the homecoming of the governorship hopeful.
It took hours to bring the celebrating people under control even as they said Dr. Mbah’s homecoming was a blessing to the council area, and that he deserved to be given a cheering and rousing reception.
In order to show that Mbah and the party would not lose a single vote in the council area, the excited crowd paraded the arena with their permanent voter’s cards (PVCs), displaying them and repeatedly renting the air with the songs of victory and triumph for the state.
While speaking, the elated Chairman of the local government, Hon. Okechukwu Edeh, said the intimidating and overwhelming mammoth crowds were understandable because of their firm belief, confidence, resolute and faith in Mbah’s uncommon capacity and peerless leadership skills to spur quantum leap and transform the state into an industrial, technologically driven state which will serve as a source of inspiration to other states.
Still rehashing the massive display of endorsement by the large turnout of the communities, the chairman noted that the project belonged to them, and the people had already shown that they’d taken ownership of the project, adding that he was not surprised by the town-hall meeting-turned reception.
Appreciating Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for upholding the principle of equity, fairness and justice through the existing zoning formula in the state, the council boss said the people of the area would forever remain grateful.
“I want to specially appreciate the performing Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for upholding the principle of equity, fairness and justice. We are happy and we’re grateful for his kind gesture,” he added.
Okechukwu further restated the readiness and commitment of the council to deliver every single vote from the area to Mbah’s election, assuring that the dream to produce the next governor will be a reality on March 11.
He extended his appreciation to other local government areas for the massive support and laudable solidarity the governorship candidate has been enjoying from them, saying the task before the people was to ensure they come out en masse with their PVCs and queue behind the PDP on the day of election.
In their separate remarks at Owo town and Amagunze, the administrators of the development centres, Hon. Edeh Nweze and Hon. Uche Mbah, Member representing Nkanu East in the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Paul Nnajiofor, his would-be successor, Hon. Okey Mbah, House of Representatives Member representing Nkanu East/Nkanu West Federal Constituency, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, and spokesperson for the development area, Hon. Ejike Ani, expressed their gratitude to the people for showing that the project belongs to them by taking over the town through their huge population.
They stressed that Mbah’s popular acceptance and bumper support among his people and by extension, the entire state, was as a result of his unparalleled, distinctive and outstanding track records in the private and public sectors where he was able to prove his leadership mettle and managerial superiority over his contemporaries.
The PDP house of assembly candidate called for more hands to be on deck to ensure all the candidates got elected in the February and March forthcoming elections.
Nnajiofor, while describing Mbah as a rare disruptive innovator, insisted that the governorship hopeful will bring light and hope to the state through his development plans and strategic policies encapsulated in his manifesto.
“I want to promise and state unequivocally and in clear terms that Dr. Peter Mbah will never fail our people. He will never fail the people of Enugu State. He succeeded as a Chief of Staff, Commissioner for Finance, and a private investor. He took Pinnacle Oil and Gas Ltd to the apex position in the country’s economy. He is in Enugu State to do wonders with our economy,” the ranking lawmaker noted.
On his part, Hon Nnaji lauded Mbah for building a business empire that has given the country hope, maintaining that the business he built in Lagos was only a tip of the iceberg in what he intended to do in the state’s economy, adding that “Dr. Mbah is coming to Enugu State for a rescue mission.”
A first class traditional rule, Igwe Okeke Arum, while pouring encomiums on the state governor for his commitment to the principle of equity, fairness and justice, observed that God had used him to answer the clamour and wipe away the tears of the people of Nkanu East area.
While commending the ruling party for standing up to a just cause, the royal father assured that Mbah would coast home to victory at the polls.
At Amagunze community, the Chairman, PDP Enugu East Senatorial Zone, Hon. Nnamdi Nwafor, Hon. Frank Anioma and Chief Johnny Nwatu, said the only debt the development centre was owing the party was to collect their PVCs, come out in large numbers and cast their votes for the party.
Addressing newsmen at the venue, one of the stakeholders, Barr. Osinachi Austin Nnajieze, commended Mbah’s excellent manifesto as a masterpiece that’ll put the economy of the state on the world map through unprecedented innovation.
Enjoining all eligible voters to queue behind the candidacy of the PDP gubernatorial flagbearer, Nnajieze said Mbah’s leadership will give the state reasons to celebrate and feel proud of their government.
Reacting to the mind-blowing, staggering and unprecedented show of love and solidarity by his people, Mbah, who was literally submerged by the historic reception and unending chant of solidarity songs rolling out from every angle, said he visited his hometown to thank the people for the ceaseless support and spirit of brotherhood.
Recounting that he merely came to give the people the reports of their town-hall meetings’ tour to the 64 development areas and to celebrate the assurances he got from them, Mbah said he was confident that PDP was going to win with landslide victory.
He said he had already communicated his manifesto to the state when he unveiled it on October 13, 2022, and through the town hall meetings he held with the development centres.
According to him, he espoused how to grow the economy from $4.4 million to $30 billion, transform the youths from job seekers to wealth creators, and digitalize the economy. He added that the people had been receiving his manifesto with excitement and with overwhelming assurances of their votes.
He extended gratitude to Governor Ugwuanyi and the PDP leadership for ensuring equity, fairness and justice, hailing the party and the people of the state for finding him worthy, competent, and most prepared for the job.
“I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the governor, the party leadership and the good people of Enugu State for the trust they reposed in me for the job. They have found us worthy for the job because of our antecedents in the private sector. They knew we have the capacity to transform the economy. They’ve confidence in us that we’re going to rescue the state from the dwindling national economy and speed up industrial revolution,” he added.
Mbah, who also re-echoed that the youth will be the epicenter of his administration, assured that he would give them adequate training in vocational skills, technology, digital competence that would make them compete globally and earn them livelihood.
He further added that small, medium and large scale enterprises will be encouraged through the availability of 100 billion naira revolving loan to boost the state’s economy, assuring that the state will be the industrial hub of the Southeast zone through huge investments and massive infrastructure.
Mbah further announced an end to post-harvest losses in agriculture under his leadership as part of his plans was to build special economic zones and agro-allied processing industries that would make agriculture profitable for the masses.
He added that his government would create value chain in the agricultural sector where production would be upscaled, produce processed, packaged, stored and exported for more revenue generation.
