The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Enugu

  • Teenager raped to death in Enugu

    A teenage girl, Ngozi Eze, has been allegedly raped to death by unknown persons at Imufu community, Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.

    The deceased’s body was found in a bush behind Community Secondary School, Imufu.

    She had gone for her JAMB lessons in preparation for the forthcoming UTME.

    The body was found several hours after her family declared her missing.

    The deceased’s father, Jonathan Eze, had earlier dropped her with his motorbike at the lesson centre.

    Eze told the crowd that gathered in the bush where his daughter’s corpse was found that he took her on his motorcycle to the Township School, Ogrute, Enugu Ezike, where she went for JAMB lessons in the evening of Tuesday.

    According to him, he went back later to pick her only to be informed that somebody had given her a lift.

    “I left Township School, Ogrute and went home straight, hoping to see her but she wasn’t there. We waited till 8 pm and started looking for her.

    “She was not the type that normally socialise. We did not sleep as her telephone number was switched off. It was only this morning (Wednesday) that we got information that her corpse was found here.

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    “She was to enter the university last year when she completed her secondary education but we prevailed on her to exercise patience for her elder brother to graduate, because we cannot afford to train two persons in the university.

    ‘’Since then, she has been working hard to gain admission this year, but this is what has now happened.”

    Rev Father Johnson Nwanonenyi, the parish priest of the area, who said a short prayer for the repose of her soul at the scene, amid wailing and sobbing by sympathisers, shortly before a team of police detectives took the body away for further investigations, said that human beings would always reap the bad seeds they sowed while on earth.

    “The perpetrators of this heinous crime will be exposed. God will not allow His creation to be humiliated this way, without punishing them adequately,” the priest said.

    The police who arrived the scene said a close observation of her corpse showed lacerations around her neck and ankles, suggesting she must have been strangled by her rapists.

    Her books and writing materials, handkerchief and shreds of her clothings were scattered around the scene.

    Spokesman of Enugu state command of the Nigeria police, Superintendent Ebere Amaraizu said they were yet to receive full report of the incident.

  • NASS Election Tribunal receives 10 petitions in Enugu

    No fewer than 10 petitions have been filed before the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    A NAN check at the tribunal’s secretariat in Enugu revealed that the petitions arising from the outcome of the Feb. 23 National Assembly elections were challenging three senatorial results and seven House of Representatives results.

    Further breakdown of the petitions reveal that out of the 10 petitions, nine were filed by candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while one was filed by a candidate of African People’s Alliance (APA).

    In her petition, Mrs Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu of the APC is challenging the re-election of Sen. Ike Ekweremadu for Enugu West Senatorial Zone.

    According to the information made available to NAN, APC’s Mr Eugene Odo is also challenging Sen. Chuka Utazi who was declared winner for Enugu North Senatorial Zone.

    Still at the senatorial level, another APC candidate, Mr Lawrence Eze filed a petition challenging the declaration of former governor of the state, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani as winner of Enugu East Senatorial zone.

    The Federal House of Representatives seats being challenged are those of Enugu North and South, Ezeagu/Udi, Nsukka/ Igboeze South and Aninri/Awgu/Oji River.

    Others are Nkanu East/Nkanu West, Igbo-Etiti/Uzo Uwani, and Udenu/ Igboeze North.

    NAN reports that the 21 days required by law for the filing of petitions arising from elections had lapsed.

  • CSOs, Human Rights activists push for female Speaker from S’East

    Coalition of South East Civil Society and Human Rights Organizations are pushing for a female Speaker of the House of Representatives for 9th National Assembly.

    To this regard, the coalition endorsed Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha for the job.

    Onyejeocha is coming back to the House for a record four times, representing the Isuikwuato/Umnneochi Federal Constituency of Abia state.

    Addressing reporters Wednesday in Enugu, leaders of the coalition, Dr. Jasper Uche and Ibuchukwu Ezike said since she contested on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), it would not only be proper that the position be zoned to the South East but also to the womenfolk.

    Onyejeocha whose previous tenures were on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had served in several House Committees which include Women in Parliament, Appropriation, Works, INEC, Police Affairs and Aviation.

    According to the coalition, she has 3 Bills to her credit. These include the Local Government Autonomy Bill passed and merged with the Constitutional Amendment Bill, Anti torture Bill and Gunshot victims Compulsory Treatment Bill, both also passed and assented.

    The coalition argued that the Federal character principle should be taken into consideration and that the South East has not produced the Speaker since 1999.

    The coalition also pointed to the fact that Abia state gave the needed 25 % votes to President Buhari as well as the need to change the perception of the President in the South East.

    It also averred that Onyejeocha had never been indicted or involved in any banana peel scandals.

    “Right Honourable Nkeiruka Onjeocha is most qualified from the South East to take the Speakership position in the 9th Assembly,” they i

  • Ethiopian Air opens condolence registers in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Enugu

    ETHIOPIAN Airlines, owners of the ill-fated Boeing 737 Max – 8 that crashed on Sunday, have opened condolence registers in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Enugu.

    There were 157 passengers aboard the plane which was flying from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya.

    The airline opened the registers at its offices in the four cities for the victims of ET Flight 302.

    The development came in the wake of the global outrage triggered by the crash.

    Two Nigerians –  Ambassador Abiodun Bashau and Prof Pius Adesanmi  – were among the victims.

    The General Manager of Ethiopian Airlines in Nigeria, Mrs. Firihiewot Mekonnen, yesterday received the first set of visitors at the airline’s Lagos Office.

    At the Abuja Airport, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunomah, was received by Ethiopian Airlines Sales Manager  Tilahun Tadesse.

    Mrs. Mekonnen thanked Nigerians for standing by her organisation “in this moment of grief”.

    “We thank the Nigerian President and the good people of Nigeria for the condolence message from the Government of Nigeria.

    “We have always counted on Nigeria as an African partner and brother and this sad occasion once again proves the bond. We commiserate with Nigeria over the loss to humanity of the two great Nigerians on that flight. We have since reached out to the families involved. Ethiopian Airlines will not abandon its responsibilities to them.”

    Ethiopian Airlines has grounded all B737-8Max airplanes in its fleet. The airline was not flying the B737 Max-8 on its Nigerian routes. The B777, B787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 are the aircraft deployed daily to Nigeria.

    The crash has raised questions about the safety of the aircraft type.

    The two crashes involving Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air has further put a question mark on the safety integrity of Boeing 737 Max-8.

    Investigations have been launched into the circumstances leading to the crash but there heightened anxiety among global passengers booked on airline flight for carriers that have Boeing 737- Max 8 on their fleet.

    Britain yesterday led other nations, including Malaysia, Oman, Australia, China and Singapore to temporarily ban the aircraft model in their airspaces.

    A local operator,  Air Peace, which had ordered for 10 units of the aircraft type, said it was not suspending its order.

    It, however, promised to watch ongoing investigations before taking a decisive step.

    Industry regulator Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) gave assurance on the state of aircraft flying in Nigeria’s airspace.

    The NCAA said there was no cause for worry, as no Boeing 737 Max-8 was being operateed in the country.

    Its spokesman, Sam Adurogboye, assured the flying public of their safety, stating that there is no cause for alarm.

    He said in a statement: “Presently, the accident aircraft type, Boeing 737 Max-8 is not in operation in the country. However, the authority, in line with its Safety Oversight mandate enshrined in the Civil Aviation Act 2006, is consciously monitoring the development (s) with a view to take the necessary steps that will enhance the safety of all aircraft in operation within the Nigerian airspace.”

    “This is to assure the public that NCAA will continue to ensure that safety regulations are strictly adhered to for the safety of all in Nigeria. Our heart is with the Airline and families of the victims of the accident.”

    Also yesterday, United States (U.S.) regulators ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to the model and insisted that they would take action if safety issues are detected.

    But the U.S. demand was not enough to reassure aviation authorities in Britain and four other countries — Singapore, Australia, Malaysia and Oman — who temporarily banned all 737 MAX planes from their airspace.

    China, an important market for Boeing, had already ordered domestic airlines to suspend operations of the plane Monday, same step taken by Indonesia.

    The UK Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement headlined “Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft” that “as a precautionary measure” it had decided “to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying UK airspace”.

    Aviation regulators in Singapore, a global air travel hub and popular transit point for long-haul travellers, said they would work with the country’s main airport and “the affected airlines to minimise any impact to travelling passengers”.

    One Singaporean airline, SilkAir, uses 737 MAX aircraft while a handful of foreign airlines operate the planes in the city-state.

    In its statement announcing the 737 MAX ban, Malaysia’s aviation regulator noted the two recent fatal accidents involving the model.

    Britain joined four other countries in banning Boeing 737 MAX planes from their airspace as a growing number of airlines around the world grounded the jets following a second deadly accident in just five months.

    Low-cost airline Norwegian Air Shuttle said Tuesday it would suspend flights of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft until further notice.

    Norwegian, which operates 18 of the planes, will keep them grounded pending advice from aviation authorities, Operations Chief Tomas Hesthammer said.

     

  • Police killed supporter, not observer in my residence, says Ayogu Eze

    The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu state Senator Ayogu Eze has declared the man shot dead by the police at his residence on Saturday was one of his supporters and not an election observer as widely reported.

    Eze also said several vehicles belonging to the Enugu state government actually stormed his residence during the exercise, leading to fracas that resulted in the shooting of his supporter by a police man who is currently being detained in Enugu.

    In a statement by his media aide, Clinton Umeh, Eze said the police officer who fired the tragic shot has also been arrested and handed over to law enforcement agents currently handling the matter in accordance with their service rules.

    The statement said: “Sen. Eze’s residence was stormed by two vehicles with Enugu State Government registration numbers, claiming to be carrying election observers.

    ‘While one of them drove inside the senator’s compound, the other stayed outside the gate.

    “The vehicles had their numbers masked, rousing the curiosity of our supporters who unmasked them only to reveal the Enugu State number plates.

    “The crowd numbering nearly 10,000 people saw this as unwarranted intrusion, especially as they saw the face cap of the PDP governorship candidate for the election in one of the vehicles and sought to quiz the occupants of the vehicles on their mission.

    “The atmosphere expectedly turned rowdy suddenly, forcing one of the police officers in the premises to shoot into the air to disperse the crowd.

    ”His hand obviously slipped, according to eyewitnesses, and he shot one of the All Progressives Congress, APC, supporters, who passed on while being conveyed to the hospital.

    “The affected police officer has also been handed over to law enforcement agents who are currently handling the matter in accordance with their service rules.

    “The so called observers whose identities were questionable were released to the Igbo Eze North Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Samuel Ngwu Attah following the intervention of Sen. Eze immediately his attention was drawn to the incident.

    “No observer was killed in our principal’s house or anywhere near it.

    “What is circulating in the social media is pure fake news, obviously fabricated by those who sent the team to the house of the governorship candidate.”

    He added: “We see this fake story as part of the coordinated assault on the democratic rights of our principal, who has remained calm in the face of severe provocation.

    “We hope that with this clarification the authors of this willfully spurn tale by the moonlight will see the need to leave Sen. Eze alone.”

     

     

     

  • Eze boycotts guber election in Enugu, alleges foul play

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candi-date in Enugu State, Senator Ayogu Eze, yesterday boycotted the governorship/state assembly elections in the state.

    Eze told journalists in his country home at Umuozzi in Enugu-Ezike, Igboeze North Council of the state, that he was angry that his name was not included among governorship candidates contesting in the state.

    He alleged that INEC published final list of governorship candidates leaving out his name in spite of Appeal Court order reinstating him as the APC governorship candidate.

    “INEC claims to have party logos on the ballot paper so why didn’t they publish only the logos of all the political parties and leave the candidates,’’ Eze complained.

    The APC candidate said his supporters refused to vote because they were angry that they had not been treated well by INEC.

    He said he pleaded with them to go and vote but they insisted they would not vote until INEC created a level playing field.

    When contacted, the INEC Residential Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr. Emeka Ononamadu, debunked the allegation saying that the commission included his name on Friday, March 8.

    The REC told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that as soon as it received directive from INEC headquarters in Abuja, he restored his name.

    According to him, at the commencement of work on Friday, March 8, the administrative memo arrived and his name has been inserted back at the appropriate place as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for over 24 hours.

    The REC urged the residents especially the media to get things right by informing the people appropriately on developments at the commission.

    “After this briefing, I will take time to show you the communication from our headquarters in Abuja.

    “And those communications are purely administrative and it is clear that we put back his name on time after the Thursday’s Appeal Court Judgment.

    “I saw the thing, the administrative communications concerning the issue, on Friday, in the morning when I came to work. It was then resolved.

    “However, let me say, that the APC before now has been in the ballot paper.

    “If you go to the polling booth now, you see APC name abbreviated with its logo in the ballot papers,’’ he said.

    Ononamadu explained that INEC is one and the Enugu office is a sub-section of the INEC headquarters, Abuja.

    He added that the INEC Enugu office would always take directives from its national headquarters since it did not have the powers to remove or add any name of candidate or party for election. (NAN).

  • CSOs pass vote of confidence on Enugu REC

    A coalition of Civil Society Organizations in Enugu State have passed a vote of confidence on the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Enugu State, Dr Emeka Ononammadu, while also calling on the commission to disregard calls by the APC to postpone elections in the state.

    The coordinator of the group, Mr. Onyebuchi Igboke who made this known while addressing the media in Enugu on Friday said that political parties should refrain from distorting the electoral process by making unsubstantiated allegations to achieve personal goals.

    “We pass a vote of confidence on the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Enugu State. He has been consistently giving updates on the activities of the commission in Enugu State.

    “So the story coming from one of the major political parties may discourage the members of the public from coming out to vote.

    “We are calling on our people to disregard any information that will make them not to come out to vote because the security agencies have assured us that there was no cause for alarm.

    “We are also aware that INEC is ready for the election. We are also calling on the security agencies to invite the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC to explain his allegations that INEC was conniving with security agencies and a political party to distort the process.”

    The coalition advised political parties to desist from making flying allegations which were capable of instigating violence and distorting the electoral process but should rather encourage the people to come out and vote massively for the candidates of their choice.

    “Elections is all about guidelines and procedures so if you are not satisfied with the process, you can go to court and seek redress.

    “You should not make allegations that can incite the people and distort the process. Every political party should rather join hands in educating our people so that they can come out and vote. “

  • 70-year old widow laments son’s death in Biafra struggle

    A 70-year old woman, Mrs. Anih Priscilla Evelyn, has lamented loss of her son Anih Okwy Kinsley, in the struggle for the actualization of Biafra sovereignty.

    Evelyn alleged that she last saw her son, member of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, (MASSOB), after a security raid on members in a rally in Enugu state two years ago.

    Narrating her ordeal to newsmen in Onitsha, the widow said the victim would have been the heir of the family following the death of her husband who also lost his life in the same struggle.

    She said, “I have the feeling that my son might have met his untimely death during security raid on MASSOB members in the Enugu rally.

    “It is still vivid in my mind how my son, Kinsley, who is to be the heir apparent since my husband is no more, died in this struggle.

    “I was told by my younger son, Uchenna, who is also a member of the Movement that Kinsley was in that rally organized to forge a way forward in achieving a Biafra State.

    “Uchenna told me that Federal Government joint security task force which has been searching for Biafra agitators stormed the scene, shooting and maiming people.

    “The unlucky ones were killed or arrested with my 34-year old son, Kinsley, was among those arrested but was surprised to hear from him that his elder brother escaped the arrest and for fear of being killed, left Nigeria for his dear life.”

    The septuagenarian, a native of Amagunze in Nkanu Local Government Council of Enugu state further decried that she had been devastated by the loss of her son.

    “I now live in penury because my husband is late and Kinsley is nowhere and his siblings are still tender to fend for themselves,” she lamented.

  • Police arrest cultists who chopped-off man’s wrist

    The Enugu State Police Command has in an overnight operation arrested two suspected cultists in Emene community, an Enugu suburb.

    The command’s spokesman, SP Ebere Amaraizu, in a statement on Thursday said that the suspects were arrested at 8.00 p.m. on Wednesday.

    Amaraizu said that the command’s operatives also recovered a chopped-off wrist, two axes and a black cap from the suspects.

    He said that their victim, whose left hand wrist was chopped off, was identified as one Chijioke Chiaha.

    “It was, however, gathered that some groups of suspected cultists, on March 5 in the night at Eke Obinagu junction axis of Emene, had allegedly engaged themselves in a fight over a yet to be established issue which resulted to some injuries.

    The spokesman said two of the suspected cult members belonging to Junior Aieyes confraternity had been arrested.

    He said that one of the suspects told the police that he got a call from someone (names withheld), believed to be a cult leader in charge of Eke Emene Branch for a certain peace talk with other cult members at Eke Obinagu Emene Junction.

    “On his way to the place, he was nabbed by the security operatives of the command who had intervened promptly based on distress call received.

    “The victim, who confessed he used to be a member of a cult group, said he waited to board a tricycle to his house when suddenly three persons on a motorcycle approached him from behind and chop of his hand and drove away,’’ he alleged.

    Amaraizu said that the suspect in question identified his caller as one of those behind the chopping-off of his wrist.

    The command’s spokesman said that full scale investigation had commenced into the incident.

  • Enugu guber and Ugwuanyi’s wind of victory

    WITH the successful completion of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections, the stage is now set for the governorship and State Assembly polls, where the Enugu State governor and gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is poised to clinch a landslide victory.

    The outcome of the National Assembly Election in Enugu State was overwhelming as the candidates of the PDP swept all the positions. This feat was indeed a reaffirmation of the party’s strength in the state as well as the governor’s swelling popularity and acceptance by the people. It goes a long way to predict the outcome of the March 9 governorship and State Assembly Elections in the state.

    It is on record that Enugu State since 1999 has remained a PDP state, with its candidates occupying all elective positions, ranging from the National Assembly, State Assembly, Council Chairmanship and Councillorship, despite the fact that the party lost power at the national level in 2015.

    Today, the party through Gov. Ugwuanyi’s peace and good governance initiatives, uncommon leadership style and absolute faith in God, who he gives all glory, honour and adoration, having entrusted Enugu State to His hands, has continued to enjoy the tremendous goodwill, solidarity and support of the people.

    As a true man of the people with track record of inestimable humility, vision, simplicity and candor, Ugwuanyi has established a closer relationship with the masses and united political, religious and traditional leaders borne out of his firm belief in the unity, peace and progress of Enugu State.

    The governor’s ability to manage issues of divergent interests and accord everybody their due respect irrespective of class, religion, ethnicity or political affiliation is outstanding and has contributed immensely to the success story of his administration, which came on board when the nation’s economy was in recession.

    His administration’s ideology, which centres on peace and grassroots development initiatives, was carefully conceived to promote rapid development, alleviate the suffering of the people, give the neglected a sense of belonging and open up new areas for socio-economic expansion. The sound vision has stood the governor out as a great achiever and grassroots leader.

    For instance, out of the over 450 kilometers of roads executed in the past three and half years by his administration, rural communities have the lion share against the urban centres. Today, there are avalanches of signature projects registered across the length and breadth of the state that positively impact the lives of the residents, such as the historic and undulating Milliken Hill road, Ngwo, Enugu and the Opi-Nsukka dual carriageway in the University town of Nsukka. Communities that were hitherto neglected had been remembered with one legacy project or the other through the rural development programmes of the government such as the “one community one project” initiative.

    Workers’ salaries are paid on the 23rd of every month even without receipt of the federal allocation or when the date falls on a Saturday or Sunday. The state government also pays the 13th month salary as Christmas bonus.

    The state pensioners who receive their pensions as and when due, recently paid the people’s governor a symbolic Thank-you visit for payment of arrears of gratuities owed them from January 2009, from the monthly N100 million approved by his administration for the said purpose.

    The education sector has received priority attention as over 589 primary and secondary school blocks, have been constructed, renovated and equipped with ICT facilities while more than 4000 teachers were recruited to improve the standard of learning in the state.

    In the health sector, besides completion of the state-of-the-art Enugu State Medical Diagnostic Centre, Enugu and construction of District Hospitals across the state, the positive impacts of the state’s primary healthcare programme in the rural communities through Free Maternal and Child Healthcare and the integration of Faith-Based Organisations have strengthened delivery of medical services to the grassroots.

    On empowerment, 3400 traders have so far benefited from the first and second phase of the Enugu State Traders Empowerment Scheme while 1000 youths (now increased to 2000) were usefully engaged to clean up the state under the Enugu Clean Team Project.

    As scholarships were offered to 680 indigent engineering students of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu and Enugu State Polytechnic Iwollo, Ezeagu LGA, to promote the harnessing of the beneficiaries’ potentials for knowledge transfer, economic growth and self-reliance, 750 unemployed youths were trained and assisted with finance to establish their various businesses of practice, under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Skill Acquisition Programme of the state government.

    The prevailing peace and security in Enugu State have encouraged foreign and local direct investment and earned the state the enviable status as one of the most peaceful and safest states in the country – a fact the INEC accredited observers for the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly Elections confirmed.

    Consequently, Enugu State was recently rated by the World Bank Group as the second most advanced state in Nigeria towards the frontier of global good practices with regards to Ease of Doing Business.

    The state, under Gov. Uguwanyi’s watch, has received other avalanches of outstanding ratings and commendations. These landmark feats, which are the hallmark of good governance, include the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Administration’s verdict, which named Ugwuanyi as the best governor in judicious utilisation of the bailout funds; the recent Economic Confidential magazine verdict that listed Enugu among the seven states that are solvent with impressive over 30 percent Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to fund additional economic activities; the BudgIT report, which listed Enugu, Lagos and Rivers as the only three states out of the 36 states of the federation that have fulfilled obligations to their workers, among numerous others.

    In recognition of all these milestone achievements, four leading national dailies – The Sun, Vanguard, Leadership and Independent Newspapers – this year honoured Ugwuanyi as their Governor of the Year 2018, a feat that is unprecedented in the nation’s history.

    All these landmark achievements and others too numerous to mention, have indeed earned Gov. Ugwuanyi a gale of endorsements for his re-election by virtually all spheres of the society, including non-indigenes.

    For instance, while Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN) and Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province (Anglican Communion) have endorsed Ugwuanyi’s re-election declaring that there is “No Vacancy in the Lion Building in 2019”, the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Samuel’ Emeka Kanu Uche, described the governor’s second term bid as “sacrosanct”.

    Remarkably, all the traditional rulers in Enugu State, for the first time in the history of the state, gathered and unanimously endorsed the people’s governor for a second term and presented him with an “Ofo’ as a symbol of authority for their support and endorsement.

    The traders, civil servants/organised labour, pensioners, political leaders, students, youths, artisans, academics, non-indigenes, and over 450 support groups, among others are also in the list of mature, revered and independent-minded stakeholders that have unanimously endorsed Ugwuanyi’s re-election.

    Recently, the coalition of governorship candidates of different political parties in Enugu State unanimously endorsed Ugwuanyi for re-election “to complete the good work you have started in our state”.

    The candidates, totaling 26 in number, through their Co-ordinator, Dr. Vicgenial C. Odumejemba of the National Conscience Party (NCP), said the endorsement was in recognition of the “sustainable security and peace in the state”.  The governorship candidates added that it was because of the governor’s “humane and down to earth dealings with issues without discrimination” and “prudent spending and refusal to embark on unnecessary loans as an economic expert and debt manager”.

    They therefore, pledged to mobilize their teeming supporters to vote massively for Gov. Ugwuanyi, stressing that the governor has been “carrying along all political parties in the state and running an all-inclusive government”.

    According to them, “the former governors, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani and Barr. Sullivan Chime, served eight years each and Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi will be supported to serve eight years as well”.

    Besides all these, Gov. Ugwuanyi has remained committed to a vigorous door-to-door campaign at market places, communities and streets of the state, canvassing for votes and establishing direct contact with the people, urging them to come out en masse and vote for him and other candidates of the PDP in the state.

    From the foregoing, it is therefore, an undisputable fact that Gov. Ugwuanyi is the candidate to beat in the forthcoming governorship election in Enugu State – signposting that the wind of victory is around the corner and March 9 elections will surely end in praise in the state. Let’s make it happen again, for Enugu State is truly in the Hands of God!

    • Amoke writes from Enugu State