By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South East has elected a new zonal executive to man the affairs of the party in the region, with Chief Ali Odefa remerging as the Zonal Chairman.

The election, which took place during the zonal congress of the party at the Michael Okpara Square in Enugu on Wednesday, also saw the emergence of Hon. James Ugwu as the Zonal Secretary, Mrs. Regina Uchebo as Zonal Treasurer, Hon. Cornelius Okey Ugwu as Zonal Zonal Organising Secretary, while Madubuike Okoro, Engr. Chigozie Igwe, Barr. Dominic Nwankwo, and Mrs. Ifeyinwa Arodiogbo were elected to the positions of Financial Secretary, Publicity Secretary, Legal Adviser, and Woman Leader, respectively, for the zone.

Godswill Nwanoruo and Ezeanya Augustine were elected to the positions Zonal Youth Leader and Auditor.Also elected were six Zonal Ex-officio and five Zonal Ex-Officio.

Speaking earlier, the Governor of Enugu State and Leader of the party in the South East zone, Dr. Peter Mbah, reminded party faithful that ?election is never an end in itself and neither should the victory arising from it be construed as personal triumphs.?

The governor tasked party faithful on setting the PDP as a template for good governance, insisting that ?democracy abhors excuses ? no matter how plausible they sound.?

?We fully understand the demands and expectations of the people in a democratic setting. The bottom line is good governance. This is the ideal to which the PDP has committed to from its inception.

?That is why, for us here in Enugu State, the people remain the centerpiece of government policies. The improvement of their welfare is not a task we regard with levity.

?It reflects in our determination to ensure that the provision of basic services can indeed be taken for granted by the people.

?Democracy is beyond the squabble for office and power. It is about the people. We cannot emphasise that enough,? Mbah stated.

He further tasked party faithful on unity and reinventing the party to restore its past glory in the South East region.

?The party?s greatness derives from its capacity to reinvent itself, and retain its national appeal in the face of challenges. The South East has always been a bastion of the PDP. We must ensure that it remains so.?

In his acceptance speech, on behalf of the 21-member Zonal Executive, the Zonal Chairman, Chief Odefa, called for unity, saying it is the only guarantee of PDP?s victory over the ruling All Progressive?s Congress, APC, which it accused of bad policies and misgovernance that have caused sufferings in the land.

In attendance were the Deputy Governor of Enugu State. Barr Ifeanyi Ossai; Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu; Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara; Senate Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu, Senator Augustine Akobundu, and Hon. Nnoli Nnaji .

Others include Senator Sam Egwu; National Auditor of the party, Chief Daniel Obi; Council Chairmen led by Hon. Okechukwu Edeh, federal and state lawmakers, state party executives and other delegates from the zone.

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