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Nkanu West Softens Ground For PDP Governorship

By Lawrence Njoku Enugu
24 January 2015   |   11:00 pm
THOUSANDS of residents of Nkanu West local government council of Enugu State on Friday held campaign rally in support of the election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and other candidates of the party from Enugu East senatorial district in the February general election.   Others in the election include, incumbent…

Nkanu-West--

THOUSANDS of residents of Nkanu West local government council of Enugu State on Friday held campaign rally in support of the election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and other candidates of the party from Enugu East senatorial district in the February general election.

  Others in the election include, incumbent Senator representing Enugu East, Gilbert Nnaji, who is seeking to return to the Senate; House of Representatives candidate for Nkanu East and West, Chukwuemeka Ujam and House of Assembly candidate, Iloabuchi Aniagu.

   Packaged by the chairman of Nkanu West local government, Mr. Afam Okereke, the campaign tour, which took off at the council headquarters in Agbani, saw the party faithful march in long motorcade with party’s campaign materials to various communities, sensitising the electorate on why its candidates should be voted in the elections. Coming ahead of the state’s gubernatorial election campaign in the council scheduled for February, it was also to thank the people for their support at the congress and primaries of the party in the area.

   Former President of Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani, who praised the council administration for putting up such magnificent show, told the gathering that PDP has a pact with Nigerians, adding that the administration of Goodluck Jonathan is systematically turning things around for the betterment of the people. Stressing that a vote for the party was a vote in the right direction, he stated that gradually, but steadily, the President has shown course why Nigerians should continue to be proud of the country.

   “We will vote him again because he has demonstrated that Nigeria can work given the right atmosphere and support. Any vote given to the PDP in this election will not be a waste and I enjoin you not to allow this chance slip off our hands,” he said.

   Nnamani, who said though he is not from Nkanu West council, but decided to address the rally, said Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has remained the best thing that has happened to the party in the state. He said when the leadership of the party will come on state campaign tour next month, he will be there to support them, stressing that, he believed totally with the policies of the state government.

  Nnamani said: “Nkanu East and West is a battle ground in this election, but we know that as far as voting is concerned it is PDP that the PDP will vote for. It is umbrella from A – Z as far as our people are concerned. This is supposed to be a stakeholders meeting and in Enugu politics, you cannot do without Nkanu west because Nkanu is the pivot where Enugu politics revolve. We don’t have alternative here excerpt PDP and we are not going to favour our brothers who by the dint of their misfortune failed to belong here. We are an all inclusive party and there is room for people to continue to try when they fail.

   “If you lose primary election in PDP, it does not make you a rolling stone, but to continue to try because one day you will get it. Our people should not waste their votes by casting it elsewhere. There is too much hunger in the land, but I know our people will not be discouraged by hunger.”

   Talking about Gilbert Nnaji, he stated that the logic that Nkanu people do not go to the senate twice was not in the law book, explaining that he refused to go back after serving as senate president based on his conviction that he would have become a floor member if he had done so.

  “If Gilbert Nnaji goes back, he would have the opportunity of gaining a higher office. Chukwuemeka Ujam will be heard when he gets there. Members of the House will support his going back because he has done well,” he noted.

   He said the council chairman (Okereke) should be re-elected over what he described as ‘legacy structures’ he had done in Nkanu West within a short time, urging the people to support him to continue in future political adventures.

  Council Chairman, Okereke said Nkanu West must deliver PDP in the election, stressing that the choice of Ugwuanyi as the governorship candidate of the party had further cemented the cordiality in the party.

   He said: “Unlike other states, where the choice of governor ended up dividing the structure, the choice of Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi ended up bringing unity to our great party. We will continue to thank God because if you look at everything the way they are happening, you will see the hand of God in it. That is why we have gathered today in this programme, tagged ‘Show of Love.’ It is to show our solidarity to the system, to show our solidarity and support to the people the party has presented for us to support, to the people bearing the flag of PDP in our zone, in our local government and constituency.

“We are out and we have agreed to support them all the time. The PDP will win all the way. We understand the politics here and that is why we will always look for those who were here before us for advice and support in what we are doing. We are meeting our people and speaking to them and I believe they have never failed us before and will not

fail us even in 2015,” he said.

  Okereke said there is only one political party existing in Nkanu West, explaining that the people of the state have agreed that Ugwuanyi would succeed the incumbent Governor Sullivan Chime.

  “That was why when he was nominated, our zone was the first place where he was introduced to the people and he spoke to the party structure. Nkanu West has been busy with their campaigns everywhere because we know what we want to achieve. Today we have decided to move round to tell our people that the PDP is ready to shine, even though we had little delay, but now, we are out and we will not go back again in Jesus’ name. Come February 14, we will be voting PDP all the way and if we are able to deliver PDP all the way, we will have course to ask for what is due for us,” he added.

  Thanking Governor Chime for the choice of Ugwuanyi, the council boss said he was certain that the people would deliver totally to the PDP in all elections in the area.

   State secretary of the party, Bar. Steve Oruruo, told the gathering that the only way they could redeem their fair share in the scheme of things in the politics of the state was to insist on voting the PDP. He said: “If we get it right, we shall come back to this arena to jubilate. If we get it wrong we shall continue to regret until someday when fate shall decide to smile at us again.

But I tell you, whatever we may not have got, we will get when we must have made the right choices of voting all those aspiring for positions in the party in the zone and other candidate of the PDP in the election. 

   “The government of the PDP is like a moving train and like we were told, it is either you perch for someone to drop for you to go inside or you are not in it at all. So, we will continue to vote for PDP because the party will never deceive us.”

  Former commissioner in the state, Mr. Chinyeaka Oha, assured that the incoming government of PDP would remedy whatever had been done wrong in the zone and thanked Governor Chime for nominating Ugwuanyi as his successor.

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