_…As Governor extols Enugu APC as model for internal democracy_
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BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
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Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, is poised to secure the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket, as party members turned out en masse across the state’s 260 wards on Thursday to participate in the governorship primary election, where he was the sole aspirant.
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Although collation was still ongoing as at press time, Mbah looks good to clinch the party’s ticket, as members predicated their support for his second tenure on his outstanding performance in the last three years.
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At Owo Ward, Nkanu East Local Government Area, where Governor Mbah participated and was received by party faithful in their thousands, the crowd affirmed Mbah’s candidature with a roaring ‘yes’ when the panel comprising Prince Arinze Arum, Mrs. Ngozi Eni, and Barr. Osinachi Nnajieze put the question.
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Speaking, the Ward Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Mbah, and Member representing Nkanu East/Nkanu West Federal Constituency, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, said Mbah’s reelection was sacrosanct for the people of Enugu State, adding that the governor had become a reference point in good governance in Nigeria.
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“I have gone to vote in my own ward before coming here. The same thing that is happening here is happening concurrently in the 260 wards across the state and reports are very good. Anyone who knows the state of affairs in Enugu State before you came in would know that a lot of changes have taken place.
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“It is not enough to get power. What you use the power for matters more. But Peter Mbah is called the Rock because of how he is using power to do mighty things. Today in Nigeria, you cannot talk about three governors that are performing without counting our own governor among them,” Hon. Nnaji said.
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In his remarks, Governor Mbah said the direct primary election in Enugu APC had been a fruitful and unique exercise underlined by internal democracy and the people speaking directly to office seekers.
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“Just yesterday (Wednesday), we concluded the direct primaries of all the 24 State Constituencies. It is interesting to note that of those 24 seats, we did not have any two persons that picked forms to vie for one office.
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“It is no different with the primary exercises for the Senate and House of Representatives. In fact, in the constituency where we had a second person, in the course of the process, he wrote a letter to the party withdrawing from the contest and pledging his total commitment to support the other candidate.
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“Today again, I am the sole aspirant for the governorship ticket of our party. And it has not happened by accident or coercion or cowardice. It happened because our people are not cowardly. It has happened because our people are smart. Our people are wise and they know what is good when they see one.
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“So, because we have not created division or disharmony among ourselves, Enugu State APC is largely becoming the standard bearer of what grassroots politics and democracy should be. We are also increasingly becoming a model of how to manage internal politics,” he stated.
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He urged party members to remain united going into the 2027 general election in order to record resounding victories.
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“This is because once you begin to experience those divisions, implosions, and attrition, then you have already started diminishing your support base, even before you get to the general elections. So, this is why what we have done as a party over the primaries exercises is very, very important,” he concluded.
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Meanwhile, all eyes are now on the Hon. Danmalikin Hausa-led APC Committee for the Governorship Primary Election in Enugu State, which also visited several locations to monitor the exercise, to conclude the collation of results and formally announce the outcome, which many expect to confirm Mbah as the APC gubernatorial candidate for Enugu State.
