By CHARLES IWUOHA

Ahead of the October 2024 local council election in Enugu State, the state’s chapter of the Peoples Democratic (PDP), on Wednesday, elected the party’s chairmanship candidates for the 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

The party had also earlier elected its councillorship candidates for the 260 electoral wards of the state on Monday.

This was even as the governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, congratulated the winners and also commended party faithful for their peaceful conducts during the two primary elections.

The Wednesday exercise, which witnessed mass turnout of party delegates and stakeholders in the 17 LGAs saw the eventual candidates clear the polls in most places following weeks of consensus-building preceding the exercise. Many aspirants, who spoke at the venues, declared support for the eventual winners, urging their supporters to vote for them.

However, only two former council chairmen, namely, Hon. Okechukwu Edeh of Nkanu East LGA and Hon. Obiora Obeagu of Isi-Uzo LGA were returned as the party’s candidates for the forthcoming council elections.

In the party’s chairmanship primary election held at Amagunze, Nkanu East LGA, Hon. Okechukwu swept the entire 42 votes cast by the 42 delegates to emerge winner, while Hon. Obeagu polled all the 33 votes cast by 33 party delegates at Ikem, Isi-Uzo LGA, to emerge victorious.

Other winners include: Beloved Dan Anike (Enugu East), Jude Asogwa (Nsukka), Caleb Ani (Enugu South), Ibenaku Onoh (Enugu North), John Ogbodo (Nkanu West), Ugochukwu Nwanjoku (Aninri), Uche Okolo (Awgu), Vita Ndu (Ezeagu), and Gregory Anyaegbudike (Oji River).

Hyginus Agu (Udi), Michael Ogala (Igboeze North), Ferdinand Ukwueze (Igboeze South), Aka Eze Aka (Udenu), Eric Odo (Igbo Etiti), and Chijioke Ezugwu (Uzo Uwani) equally won in their respective LGAs.

In their acceptance speeches at Amagunze and and Ikem, respectively, Okechukwu Edeh and Obiora Obeagu thanked party members for the confidence reposed in them, assuring that they would double their efforts to compliment Governor Mbah’s many rural development initiatives in the state when elected by their people in October.

“To whom much is given, much is also expected. Let us go to our wards and work hard in our campaigns to win. Let me assure the people of Nkanu East that my running mate, Paul Okwor, and I are ready and recharged to serve,” Edeh concluded.

In his congratulatory message, Governor Peter Mbah, expressed satisfaction with the reports of the peaceful, free, fair, and credible process he received about the exercise across the state.

“This is what our party is known for. Again, the good people of Enugu State would agree with us that our party members made the best decisions, given the quality of candidates that will be flying the party’ flag because they have what it takes to drive our disruptive and innovative development programmes at the grassroots,” Mbah stated.

Also speaking, Member representing Nkanu East State Constituency, Hon. Okey Mbah; Commissioner for Children, Gender, and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih; PDP state Youth Leader, Hon. Patrick Okoh, Executive Secretary, Enugu State Gaming and Lotto Commission, Prince Arinze Arum; Special Adviser to the Governor on Legislative Matters, Hon. Paul Nnajiofor; and a stakeholder, Prince Ifeanyi Onuora, who witnessed the exercise at Amagunze, commended the primary election in Nkanu East, expressing confidence that the PDP would triumph at the polls, given the antecedents of their candidate and the level of work already done by the governor across the state.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Prof. Chris Ngwu, who observed the exercise at Amagunze, Nkanu East, described it as “credible, free, and just,” saying that ENSIEC under his leadership was out to ensure a level playing ground for all the political parties.