Northern community pledges support for Gov Mbah's 2027 reelection

The community of Northerners residing in Enugu state have pledged total support for the reelection of Governor Peter Mbah for a second term in office.

This is as the leader of the Asiwaju Renewed Mandate South East (ARMSE), and former Southeast spokesman to President Bola Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, has disclosed that Enugu West and Enugu North Senatorial districts would not field opposition governorship candidates against Governor Mbah for the 2027 gubernatorial election. 

Onoh stated that the reason for the two districts conformation to the existing rotational principal in the state was to avoid alterations of the state's peace agenda and extension of the rotation agreement.

"If another candidate other than Governor Peter Mbah becomes Governor, it will take Enugu West district another eight years to produce a Governor of Enugu State while Enugu North Senatorial zone would wait for another 16 years or more to produce Governor of the state. 

"Once that understanding is breached, the beneficiary of that breach will stand on the same impunity and pick a successor even from Enugu east senatorial zone, justifying his or her actions that there's no zoning in Enugu State; thereby resulting to Enugu east doing a term of 16yrs or Enugu west and Enugu north. That is the unforseen danger. This is the reason why Governor Peter Mbah is the safest bet," Onoh said.

He also urged the Enugu State Northern community to extend their support to President Bola Tinubu to finish up his ongoing reforms through a second term mandate as it will ensure that power is returned to the North come 2031.

The Sariki Hausawa community in Enugu state, HRH Alhaji Yusuf Sambo made the pledge when the Asiwaju Renewed Mandate South East (ARMSE) paid him courtesy visit, soliciting for the community's support for the elections.

Sambo said that he spoke on behalf of over 200,000 Northerns residing in Enugu state and that he was giving their assurances of voting en mass for Governor Mbah and President Tinubu.

"We don't have option because Governor Peter Mbah is friendly to us, everything we asked he has done for us. We don't have option than to support his second term bid. We will be going round all the 17 local government areas in Enugu state to tell our people that he has done well and is our candidate come 2027.

"We will tell our people that these leaders are human and are not infallible. He has our support and we will give backing to the reelection project," Sambo pledged.

Speaking, Onoh traced the cordial and political relationships that have existed between the northern community in Enugu state beyond 1952 when Mallam Umaru Altine was the first elected Mayor of Enugu, serving from 1952 to 1958. 

"A simple Fulani cattle rearer from Sokoto," Onoh said, was a detribalized figure who won two terms in the heart of Igbo land, supported by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe's NCNC party, and was married to an Igbo woman, Esther Ozueh.

"Even my late father threw his support not limited to finances to ensure his re-election when political interests attempted to frustrate him out of the NCNC party," Onoh said.

He recalled that the establishment of Enugu Islamic center and the cattle market by Mallam Altine, whom he said was a statesman that maintained relationship with Enugu through his children and other Hausa community members.

"What divides us as Nigerians is not tribe but selfishness. Sambo contributed to the peace we have in Enugu state now especially during the herdsmen crisis that affected parts of the state's rural communities over 10 years ago. We are here to plead for continued support to the development of Enugu State."

Onoh stated that it was not as if the national and state administrations in the country have done completely well in all ramifications, but that both the state and federal levels can do better if they focus our collective efforts in enthroning the right leadership.

He traced the governorship rotation trajectory in the state, disclosing that two Senatorial districts in the state, Enugu West and Enugu North, were not presenting opposing candidates for the 2027 governorship election in the state, except Enugu East district where Governor Mbah hails from.

He stated that both Northern and the Igbo paid dearly for the unity and building of Nigeria, reflecting that there is more tolerance now among the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria since the end of the Civil War. 

Onoh asked the northern community to make requests of their expectations and demands from the government of Governor Peter Mbah and they would be transmitted to the state government because the Governor believes in collective cooperation to grow Enugu State which he said today see results in Enugu air, Enugu shuttle and bus services, Agricultural development, aggressive infrastructural development and road connectivity across both urban and rural areas of the state.