It was a large carnival of jubilation among the people of Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State when, on Tuesday, they turned the town-hall meetings initiated by Dr. Peter Mbah, governorship flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to interface with them, into a celebration of solidarity.
The large crowd which took over Ohom-Orba and Ezimo, headquarters of Orba and Udunedum Development Centres, the venues of the meetings, said they had come out en masse to receive Dr. Mbah and his running mate, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai, and to reassure them of their unflinching support and ownership of the project.
Various speakers at the event expressed confidence that Dr. Mbah, his running mate, Barr. Ossai and other PDP candidates would win 100% votes in the local government in particular and the Enugu North Senatorial Zone in general.
They applauded Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and the ruling party for the prudent choice of the two successful entrepreneurs, investors and distinguished legal practitioners, Dr. Mbah and Barr. Ossai, as governorship candidate and deputy governorship candidate, respectively, saying the state would be lucky to witness a new dawn of economic revival, unprecedented development, and industrial renaissance under their administration.
While giving their welcome addresses, the administrators of the two development centres, Hon. Cyril Okanya and Hon. Stanley Ugwu, chairman of the council area, Hon. Solomon Onah, House of Representatives candidate for Udenu/Igboeze North Federal Constituency, Hon. Simon Atigwe said the town-hall meetings in their area were only meant for formality as they had benefited immensely under the PDP and Ugwuanyi’s administration in the areas of human capital empowerment, extensive infrastructure, social amenities, youths engagement and robust healthcare system.
According to them, all the communities had already made a resolution to follow PDP and votes for the candidates under the party.
While giving the assurance that they would not lose a single vote to the opposition in the February and March general elections, they described Dr. Mbah as a man of impeccable character, unblemished integrity with an excellent sense of judgment whose leadership the state would be proud to have.
Professor Anthony Attamah who spoke for the people of Orba electoral wards 1 and 2, stated that his people were convinced in the competence, commitment, capacity and mission of the guber candidate when they saw his philosophical slogan of “Tomorrow Is Here”. He added that the governorship standard bearer and his running mate were leaders of substance who were coming with innovative skills that would transform the state.
“We are assuring that we’ll make your journey to the Lion Building smoother with our massive votes,” he said.
On his part, a traditional ruler who spoke for the people of Udunedum development centre, Igwe Charles Igwe commended Ugwuanyi for the legacy projects littered across the council area even as he said PDP had given them reasons to celebrate through the present administration.
He extolled Barr. Ossai’s virtues of hard-work, diligence, prudence and loyalty, maintaining that the only way to show their appreciation to the PDP was through their votes at the polls.
In his remark, the State Chairman of the party, Hon. Augustine Nnamani, applauded the people for coming out in large numbers and for displaying their electoral strength.
“What happened today is a demonstration of the love you have for Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Dr. Peter Mbah. We only came to remind you about the forthcoming elections and the use of the Biometric Verification Accreditation System (BVAS).
“The job before you is easy; you must go and collect your permanent voter’s cards, vote for the PDP through the umbrella logo which is what you’ll see on the ballot papers on election’s day,” he added.
Overwhelmed by the grand reception from the people, Dr. Mbah hailed them for their impressive show of solidarity and support.
He reminded them of the sonship already bestowed on him by the communities, adding that he had visited to show appreciation for their unswerving support and be entertained by their rich cultural exhibition.
“What you did here today shows you appreciate the value of what the PDP has done for you,” he said.
Dr. Mbah, who promised to take the dreams of the people to loftier heights where Ugwuanyi would stop, reiterated that his administration will not let the state down.
“We will not let down this trust you reposed in us. It’s going to be government of continuity and consolidation of good governance we are enjoying under the leadership of our governor,” he further assured.
The high point of the celebration was the presentation of ófó, the traditional Igbo staff of authority to the gubernatorial bidder by the traditional rulers from the council area, praying for his landslide victory at the polls, and for the success of his administration.