2027: APC 'll take over Enugu- Minister Nnaji

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji has vowed that the All Progressives Congress, APC, will take over governance of Enugu State in the 2027 governorship election.

Nnaji said that the demolition of markets and peoples shops by the Enugu state government is one reason the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will fail in the election.

He however lauded President Bola Tinubu for the appointment of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, from Enugu state.

Nnaji spoke at Ogurute, Igbo-Eze North local government area of Enugu state when he received more than 500 defectors from the PDP, the Labour Party LP, and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, into the APC.

Nnaji argued that it was wrong to destroy people’s means of livelihood in the name of building modern motor parks.

He condemned an alleged attempt by the Igbo-Eze North local government authority and PDP leaders in the area to stop the mini-rally, which made the organizers change the original venue to another venue, saying it was abuse of authority and political intolerance.  

“Enugu has never had it this bad, and as I stand today, I imagine how a people can survive without something like Ogige Nsukka market. Ogige Nsukka market has gone; they have bulldozed Ogige Nsukka to ashes, without any notice. Many of our people have died out of that singular act of government.

“If you come to Enugu too, Holy Ghost suffered the same fate, Garki and Abakpa suffered the same fate, and Ogurute market here in Igbo-Eze North LGA suffered the same fate, and I wonder how our people who are predominantly businessmen can survive without trading.

“An average Igbo man is a trader, so if you keep on destroying the markets, demolishing the markets without compensation, without providing an alternative, I don’t know how our people are going to survive and that is why we have brought out ourselves, come rain, come shine, that we are going to fight, we are going to do everything humanly possible and within the ambit of law to make sure that come 2027 our people will start rejoicing again.

“We are moving to the Lion Building (Enugu State Government House), we are going to make our people happy, the road will be open. It’s not a situation of opening CCTV for people to listen to governor or anybody in authority, I will meet you live, you will come we will have interaction with you live, and we will not be afraid of meeting our people, we will meet with our people when we get into government House come 2027,” the Minister said.

Nnaji stated that APC Enugu will not stop anybody who wants to defect to the party, noting that the door of the party will be open to welcome new members but that nobody will snatch the structure of the party from them.

"We thank the president and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, for appointing Vice Admiral Ogalla, who is from Igbo-Eze North, for making him the Chief of Naval Staff, we’ll keep thanking him for this,” the Minister stated.  

In his remarks, the State Chairman of APC, Agballah, who described the influx of new members as a ‘rainbow movement’, thanked the defectors for joining APC saying that the disadvantage of belonging to small parties is that they won’t be able to protect their votes.

Some of the defectors including; Hon Ikechukwu Ogbugo, a former executive Vice Chairman Igbo-Eze North LGA under PDP; Hon Barr Osita Ugwuoke, Hon Festus Ayogu of PDP (Bravo), Chief Oliver Idoko (Ego Amaka Transport), Hon Emmanuel Itodo (E-Gas) and Prof. Onyeke A. Onyeke, former House of Assembly member under old Enugu state, stated that they were joining APC because of the appointment of their brother as chief of Naval Staff as well as neglect by their former parties over the years.