PDP, LP, APC, APGA battle for soul of Enugu in governorship poll

With a few hours left for the governorship election in Enugu State, political parties have been directed to lock horns in a bid to take over the Singa Building, the state’s seat of power.

The candidates ended their campaign on Thursday midnight, in line with the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

In Enugu, like most states in the South-East, zoning arrangements are central to the emergence of candidates for the governorship election.

All political parties, last year, zoned the governorship ticket to Enugu East District.

The zoning debate has threatened to destroy some parties, especially the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while some politicians from outside Enugu East District have kicked the rules.

For example, the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who is the PDP governorship candidate in 2022, said there is no agreement in the party.

Mr Ekweremadu, who is currently in custody in London for alleged organ harvesting, hails from Mpu in Aninri Local Government Area of ​​Enugu West District.

The Senate then withdrew from the race and then supported Peter Mbah, after he became the party’s gubernatorial candidate.

Like Pak Mbah PDP, all the candidates from other political parties are from Enugu East Regency.

There are 17 candidates from various political parties who will participate in the election.

The main candidate

Of the 17 candidates who participated in the exercise, only four were considered top contenders.

He is a former State Commissioner for Finance, Mbah from PDP, former State Commissioner for Environment, Chijioke Edeoga from Labor Party (LP), former Minister of Information and Communications, Frank Nweke Jr of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and businessman, Uche Nnaji, from All Progressive Congress (APC).

Opportunities for candidates

Grandma

Although the PDP has enjoyed dominance in the country for the past 24 years – winning all the elections in the country in the period leading up to the new presidential election – Mr. Mbah is sweating because of the growing popularity of the LP in the country.

The LP recorded an outstanding performance in the February 25 National Assembly and presidential elections in Enugu and other states in the South East. The LP, for example, won seven of the eight DPR seats in the country and one of the two senatorial districts where elections were held.

It is the first time that the PDP will lose an election in the country since the return of democracy in 1999. Mr. Mbah is worried about the possibility of another LP being understood.

The widespread victory of the LP candidate in the country, observers believe, is due to the “effect” of the LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who has gained a lot of support in many states.

Again, despite Mr. Mbah’s recognized competence and capacity, the people of the country seem unwilling to continue the PDP in the country.

Also, PREMIUM TIMES understands that many residents remain worried about Mr. Mbah’s political sponsors and friends, especially former state governors, who many believe will help mismanage state funds if the PDP candidate is elected governor.

This will combine to become a big hurdle for the election of the PDP candidate as governor.

Edeoga

Mr. Edeoga has a bright opportunity. As witnessed during the National Assembly election, there are indications that voters will vote for Mr. Edeoga of LP as part of the rebellion against PDP in the state, which saw the state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of PDP, lose to the senatorial candidate of LP in the Enugu North District Election.

Also, Mr. Edeoga’s chances seem stronger because he is supported by the people of Nsukka in Enugu North District, which has the highest voting strength in the country.

The reason for Nsukka’s support for Mr. Edeoga is not far-fetched. Mr. Edeoga hails from Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of ​​the state. Although Isi-Uzo is in Enugu East District, it is culturally linked to Nsukka, which comprises six local government areas: Nsukka, Igbo-Eze South, Igbo-Eze North, Igbo-Etiti, Uzo-Uwani and Udenu.

But the LP candidate also has trouble winning the election.

Mr. Edeoga’s candidacy has been criticized by many residents who believe that his cultural ties to Nsukka mean that the election will equate to the emergence of another Nsukka man as governor after Mr. Ugwuanyi, who is also from Nsukka.

Again, critics argue that the LP candidate is not qualified to be the governor of the state because he is accused of not doing well as the environment commissioner in the state.

Enugu became one of the dirtiest states under his watch, according to critics.

Mr. Edeoga resigned as commissioner, last year, for the PDP governorship ticket contest, but lost to the winner, Mr. Mbah.

He later defected to the LP, where he was the party’s gubernatorial candidate.

Another obstacle facing Mr. Edeoga is the lack of a manifesto. Before the last campaign, his opponents had accused him of not being ready to rule the country because he did not present a manifesto – a policy document containing plans and programs for political leaders.

“This will not affect my chances. Those who stole these things are looking for excuses because they know they are not important,” Mr. Edeoga said during a radio program in Enugu last week.

He claimed that those who gave manifestos in the past were not responsible after winning the elections.

Ngeke Jr

Mr. Nweke, the APGA candidate, is another governor hoping to cause disruption in the state. Widely loved across the country, the former minister is seen as an alternative to those who rebel against the PDP and who believe that support for Mr. Obi should not be transferred to the LP candidate who, according to him, lacks character, capacity and competence.

He was reportedly endorsed by some LP supporters in the country.

The weakness lies in the fact that the support base is not spread across the three senatorial districts of the state. Can they overcome the LP threat to win? Time will tell.

Naji

The APC candidate, Mr. Nnaji, is unlikely to win the polls for several reasons. The fact that the APC has not received the acceptance needed in the country and region, remains the main obstacle in the quest to become the first citizen.

Again, the APC in the state has been going through a protracted leadership crisis that has resulted in the party splitting into two factions.

The crisis, analysts say, may affect the party’s chances of winning the polls as it does not have a common font to join the electoral fray to win the election.

Another insight

Apart from Mr. Edeoga, the other three candidates are from Nkanu Region of the state, albeit from different local government areas. Mr Mbah is from Owoh in Nkanu East Council Area while Messrs Nnaji and Nweke are from Nkanu West Council Area.

Since the candidates come from the same land of Nkanu, unlike Mr. Edeoga, there is hope that they will share their votes in the area, a situation that could be an advantage for the LP candidate.

In short, the governorship election in the state is believed to be a two horse race between the PDP candidate, Mr. Mbah and his LP counterpart, Mr. Edeoga – with one of them expected to win the polls on Friday.