2027: Mbah Wants Aides, LG Chairmen, Councillors to Campaign with Government Projects, Warns Against Party Disloyalty

Our Reporter 

Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, has charged political appointees, newly elected local government chairmen and councillors to demonstrate unwavering loyalty to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the 2027 general elections approach, urging them to take the party's campaign to the grassroots through the government's projects and social intervention programmes.

Mbah gave the charge on Thursday at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu, during a one-day retreat organised for political appointees, local government chairmen and councillors by the offices of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Chief Frank Anioma, and Special Adviser on Political Matters, North, Barr. Peter Okonkwo.

The retreat, themed "Leadership, Governance and Political Preparedness," brought together Special Advisers (SPAs), Senior Special Assistants (SSAs), Special Assistants (SAs), newly sworn-in local government chairmen and councillors.

The governor, who congratulated the participants on Nigeria's 66th Independence Anniversary, charged them to see their positions as opportunities to contribute to the state's development while advancing the administration's vision across the grassroots.

Reflecting on Enugu's historical significance, Mbah recalled the state's prominent place in Nigeria's political history, noting that the country initially operated with three regions — Western, Eastern and Northern — with Ibadan, Enugu and Kaduna as their respective headquarters.

He said Enugu's history had been associated with some of the country's foremost political and intellectual leaders, including Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr Michael Okpara, Dr Akanu Ibiam and former governor of the old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo.

According to him, the state's fortunes declined over the years, but his administration had embarked on a deliberate programme to restore Enugu's status and position it as a leading state in human capital development.

"The investment we make in the social sector cannot be compared with other states. We have consistently allocated 33 per cent of our budget to education. Recently, we distributed agro-inputs worth over N4 billion to farmers free of charge," he said.

Mbah said the various projects being executed by his administration were interconnected and designed as components of an integrated development strategy rather than isolated interventions.

"All our projects can't be viewed in isolation; they are interconnected. We don't do them to score political points. They are products of vision, all aimed at integrated development. We measure progress in very clear terms," he said.

The governor described the pace of development in the state as transformative, saying the administration's "Tomorrow is Here" mantra reflected its determination to deliver development without postponement.

He said the administration's interventions were deliberately planned, adding that "nothing in the state happens by accident or by wishing it."

Mbah identified education and human capital development as the administration's largest areas of investment, saying the objective was to equip young people to become wealth creators rather than dependants.

"Our largest investment is in education because that's the only way to impact the future generation. Everything we are doing today is investing in people so that they will be wealth creators," he said.

On the state's economic ambitions, the governor said the administration was working to increase Enugu's Gross Domestic Product from about $4.4 billion to $30 billion within eight years.

He also disclosed plans to attract about three million visitors to the state annually through investments in tourism infrastructure, improved connectivity and the development of six major tourist sites.

Mbah said the Enugu Air initiative was part of the strategy, disclosing that the state-owned airline was expected to commence flights to the United Kingdom in December, while efforts were also being made to establish direct connectivity with the United States.

"We are exploring flights to the US, which is being delayed by some long-winding protocols, but hopefully it will commence in the first quarter of next year," he said.

The governor said the implementation of the administration's development agenda required collaboration among the state government, local governments and the Federal Government.

He expressed appreciation for the working relationship between the Federal Government and sub-national governments, particularly the prompt release of federation allocations to the states and local governments.

Mbah further charged the officials to make poverty reduction measurable at the grassroots, saying the administration must be able to determine the number of vulnerable and less-privileged households lifted through its interventions.

Turning to the 2027 elections, the governor reminded the political appointees and elected officials that their appointments and elections were linked to their membership of the APC, stressing the need for collective mobilisation ahead of the general elections.

"Now we are approaching the general election, it's essential to work to ensure that all our candidates from the highest to the lowest are elected," he said.

He urged them to commence political mobilisation from the polling-unit level, noting that election outcomes are determined at the grassroots.

"Political mobilisation should start from the polling units because elections are won and lost at the polling units. And we need to measure our efforts as polling-unit mobilisation," he said.

Mbah called for support for APC candidates across the ballot, from the presidential candidate to candidates for the National and State Assemblies and governorship.

He said party loyalty should be comprehensive, urging party members to support candidates duly nominated by the party irrespective of personal preferences.

"Even if you don't like a person, once that person is nominated as party candidate, you have to meet him and even offer to be his campaign manager. That's loyalty," he said.

The governor, however, directed the officials to base their grassroots mobilisation on the administration's documented projects and social intervention programmes.

He said the government had provided sufficient development interventions across the state's 260 wards for officials to explain the administration's record to the electorate.

"There are a lot of projects to campaign with. If anybody asks why you should support and vote APC, tell the person to look around him or herself," Mbah said.

He cited the Smart Green Schools and Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres as examples of projects being implemented across the wards, saying the schools were equipped with information and communication technology tools, solar power and robotics technology.

According to him, the investments were designed to prepare Enugu children to compete globally in the 21st century.

Mbah said the administration's social intervention programmes should equally form part of the grassroots engagement, stressing that investments made today in education, healthcare and human capital development would reduce future social and economic burdens.

Earlier, Secretary to the State Government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, said the administration's vision was to position Enugu among the top three states in Nigeria based on GDP.

Onyia said the government was investing in critical sectors, including tourism, agriculture, transportation, education, healthcare, security and infrastructure, with the broader objective of reducing poverty to the barest minimum.

In their separate remarks, the Special Adviser on Political Matters, Chief Frank Anioma, and the Special Adviser on Political Matters, North, Barr. Peter Okonkwo, said the retreat was designed to familiarise the newly elected local government chairmen, councillors and political appointees with the administration's vision and development agenda.

They said the participants were also expected to acquire the knowledge and strategies required to mobilise citizens at the grassroots around the government's programmes and projects and communicate the administration's development agenda effectively ahead of the 2027 general elections.