.. Journey to connect Enugu state to National Politics has begun — Hon. Umeha
From Maurice Okafor, Enugu.
The Enugu State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hon. Barr. Ugoh Agballah, at the weekend revealed that the Minister of Innovation,Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji is the likely candidate to fly the flag of the party in the 2027 Enugu state governorship election.
Barr. Ugoh Agballah made the revelation at the occasion to welcome Labour Party, LP , stalwarts in Udi/Ezeagu federal constituency to APC, held at Akama Oghe Civic Center in Ezeagu local government area, Enugu.
He described Uche Nnaji as one of the best Minister’s whom President Tinubu reckons to be doing well among others.
Agballah profiled the minister as having contributed positively to the growth of democratic process in Enugu state since the return of democratic dispensation in 1998/1999 to the present time.
According to him, Nnaji won the Enugu East Senatorial election in 1999, but relinquished his seat and paved way for Chief Jim Nwobodo to become a senator and was a king maker to several other politicians in the state.
Agballah described Nnaji as humane leader with qualities to reduce the pains of the indigenes and other Nigerians residents in Enugu state.
The Enugu state APC chairman asserted that the residents are under going serious economic hardship based on over taxation of the citizens by agents of the state government.
Agballah stated, “My heart bleeds over failure of leadership in Enugu state. If not for election rigging, I would have given Enugu state the best leadership.
“Right now, we are following Uche Nnaji because he has capacity for leadership.He has given leadership to APC.
“We must liberate Enugu State. The battle is not only for Uche Nnaji.We shall rescue Enugu state from over taxation.
“We are going to garrison Udi/Ezeagu votes for APC”.
In his capacity as the Enugu State Chairman of APC, Agballah welcomed Hon.Sunday Cyriacus Umeha, representing Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency into APC fold. Umeha, a first timer was elected on the platform of the Labour Party.
Likewise,Hon.Dennis Oguerinwa Amadi, who was the previous two term elect of Udi/Ezeagu federal Constituency but contested the senatorial ticket of Enugu’ West on the platform of LP, was welcomed to APC by Barr.Ugoh Agballah led APC delegation to the ceremony.
All the 40 LP chairmen in Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency were reported to have collapsed their structures into APC.
Exceptionally, the 2003 and 2007 governorship candidate of the defunct People’s Progressives Alliance,PPA,Mr Nnamdi Anigbo,also joined APC with his supporters at the event..
In his speech at the event, the member representing Udi/Ezeagu federal Constituency in the lower National Assembly Hon.Sunday Cyriacus Umeha, promised to throw his weight behind the APC ,to take over political leadership of Enugu state.
He stressed that Enugu state as the capital of the Eastern region is supposed to be at the epicenter of National Politics.
Hon.Barr.Umeha who is the deputy Chairman, House of Rep.Committee on Justice ,who was elected on the platform of Labour Party said the irreconcilable crises in the party is the major reason why he left the party. And to achieve the desired objectives of facilitating socio infrastructural development of Udi/Ezeagu federal Constituency,he found APC as the party to beat.
According to him, he consulted widely with his constituents and it was their collective decision to decamp from Labour Party into APC
“It is a right decision to join APC.99 percent of Udi/Ezeagu constituents have said that they will not go back to PDP after 24 years of fruitful results.Our choice is APC.
“The 40 LP chairmen in Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency are also with us here. The official declaration for APC will also melt down to the various wards at a later date”.
Hon.Umeha assured the leadership of APC in Enugu state under Barr.Ugoh Agballah that they are decamping from LP into APC to give macimum support in the struggle for good governance in Enugu state by APC led administration as from 2027.
He appraised the APC led Federal government led under President Bola Tinubu to have done well for Enugu state and the South East generally within two years of his administration.
He advocated for President Tinubu’s re election in 2027,as much as the APC to take over political leadership of Enugu state from 2027.
In corroboration,Hon. Dennis Oguerinwa Amadi,who had represented Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency on the platform of PDP, before running for Enugu West Senatorial seat in 2023 on the platform of LP, said they are decamping into APC with the whole structure of Labour Party in Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency.
“We are moving our capacity from LP into APC.APC is the party to beat in Enugu state. We are no longer going to play the second fiddle in National politics
“We have come to reconcile our people of Agbaja land and beyond that we have moved beyond community politics to.connect to the nuclear federation The truth is that some of us know the importance of the state to belong to
the center We are moving in the right direction”
The APC National Deputy Chairman,South East,Chief Emma Eneukwu, endorsed the acceptance of the LP stalwarts into APC by the state chairman of the party,Ugoh Agballah. He said that PDP is gradually fading off in Nigeria politics and tasked the new entrants to work assiduously with other members of the party to ensure that Enugu state is brought into the fold of APC states.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology,Chief Uche Nnaji,who was present at the event also urged the new entrants to embrace team work
He commended Hon.Umeha and Hon.Oguerinwa Amadi for their expressions in making meaningful impacts to the growth of APC in Enugu’ State.