ENUGU 2023: PDP candidates at a glance

The famous and great Scientist, Thomas Edison was on record to have failed 72 times while trying to perfect the modern electric lamp. An average man would quit at the first failure; and that’s why there are many average men, and only one Edison in history. Placed side-by-side, Ndi Enugu can be likened to the story of Edison. Their never-say-die spirit in routing for credible leadership in the state, over the years is legendary.

They have made several efforts at enthroning quality leadership in Lion Building without success until Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi came to the stage. They had previously seen their hopes to get it right at the polls dashed across all positions from Local government to National Assembly, (tenure after tenure) since the return to democracy in 1999. And at the brink of giving up, a still small voice rose (1Kings 19:12) from Orba ahead of 2015 general elections. His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi having felt the pulse of the people threw his hat to the ring.

Touched by the woes of the infrastructural decay and dearth of social amenities and democracy dividends, he felt an inner challenge to come through for the entire state, as he had done in his three stints at the Federal House of Reps, and change the narrative.

The Shenanigans of the same old perpetrators of chronic government negligence in the state rose, but this time, with Ugwuanyi in the race, it was no longer business as usual. He didn’t arrive on horse back like the fearsome kings of the ugly past regimes, he rode gently on camel’s back, as a man accustomed to the ordeals of his people on a journey for a better executive office. He knew his mission in politics and had refused to act the band wagon. Having identified with the authentic holders of the reins of power — the everyday people of the State, he was combatant-ready to wrestle bad political representation, lack of constituency projects, and save the people from the scandal of politics of class and segregation.

This was why Ndi Enugu had continued to appreciate former Gov. Sullivan Chime for his foresight in presiding over the election that produced Gov. Ugwuanyi in 2015.

For seven years and running, Ugwuanyi have justified the choice of the people by enthroning an all-inclusive government. He delivered on the promises, and entrenched democracy in the nucleus of his party to ensure that primary elections are left in the hands of the people uninterfered. This was why Enugu state remained the only PDP state that parade the most credible candidates for elections across boards since 2015.

With the instrumentality of good governance, he made PDP the only recognizable party of choice in Enugu.

Today, selfish politicians who had been searching for ways to truncate the populist system of government in the state, had struck gold in Labour Party usurping Peter Obi’s popularity at the center, to hoodwink our people. After the transparent, free and fair primaries that delivered His Excellency the governor as consensus candidate for the Senate, Enugu North district, one Chief Okey Ezea had shown up with a controversial Labour Party ticket wishing to twarth the people’s resolve. Same as Hon. Chijioke Edoga picked a presumably idle governorship ticket of the same party, parading as a Guber candidate until two weeks ago when court put a stop to it. But before that, PDP’S Peter Mba had always been the household name for governorship in the state.

May these fairweather politicians and acolytes in contest for sundry positions in the coming elections be reminded that Gov. Ugwuanyi’s candidacy was borne out of genuine empathy for the people of his zone. A necessity prompted by heroic desire to leap across the great chasm that separates knowledge from applicable know-how in representative democracy. As a great manager of public trust, Ugwuanyi has endeared himself to Ndi Enugu. This was the basis for the kind of trust and support the entire PDP team of candidates are receiving in Enugu because they were nominated under the supervision of a performing governor as the leader of the party in the state.

Peter Mba, a creator of wealth and honest employer of labour, has paid his dues in area of human capital development. The competence which our people have been yearning for since the return to democratic rule finds its fulfilment in him. “A competent leader” says Gen. John Pershing, “can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops.” Mba is the undoubtedly the people’s choice.

As 2023 shapes itself in history as the most critical of all electoral exercise in Nigeria, and with Nigerian Youths chanting revolutionary songs in search of innovative leadership to “take back their country,” Ndi Udenu has chosen their youthful son — Hon. Solomon Izuchukwu Onah (Jack Solo) to represent them at the State House of Assembly Enugu. He emerged unopposed, as a consensus candidate too. Jack Solo comes with baggage full of verifiable track records, that guarantees electoral triumph.

From Igbo Eze North, to Uzo uwani, from Igbo Eze South to Igbo Etiti, from Udenu to Nsukka LGA, let the cymbals of positive change sound. Let people appreciate the disarming impactful strides of Gov. Ugwuanyi and the integrity of all the PDP candidates and choose wisely.

Let them listen to Pope Francis, who, while addressing journalists on his return from Hungary & Slovenia trips in September last year said: “It is now, more than ever, necessary that political leaders be outstanding for honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good.”

Engr. Vita Abbah, for House of Reps, Nsukka/Igbo Eze South Federal Constituency.
Hon. Atigwe Simon for House of Reps, Udenu/Igbo Eze North Federal Constituency.
Hon. Solomon Onah for Enugu State House of Assembly, Udenu Constituency.
Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for Senate, Enugu North district.

Once more, Bar Peter Mba for Governor, Enugu State. A young vibrant man in his early fifties, Mba wields the gavel of youths enfranchisement, and women emancipation, with humane sentiment for the manumission of the elderly and less privileged of the state.

It is a thing of joy that the masses are better informed today. And they’re no longer parleying with mediocrity that other parties are serving us in their lists ahead of 2023. Like former U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson asserted: “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”

As Nigerians are waking up to the reality that the contents of individual candidate’s character, matters most, the time is ripe for Umu Enugu State in general to use their votes to their own benefits and those of their unborn children by queuing behind PDP candidates. They have shown our people what it means to be emissary of goodwill. For Rob LeBow “when people feel trusted, they’ll do almost anything under the sun not to disappoint the person who gave them the gift of trust.”

Enugu State is in the hand of God; and Tomorrow is here!

– Jack Solo Support Group
jacksologroup@gmail.com