Guber Election: Enugu Will Vote Competence, Capacity, Not Party, Says Group

An Enugu based civil society organisation, the Enugu Good Governance Group (E-3G), says the results of the last Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections in Enugu State will not substantially influence the outcome of March 11 2023 governorship election in the State.

It says competence, capacity, and track record would count more.

The group, while also congratulating the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, on an impressive presidential election outing and victory in Lagos State, also congratulated the people of the state, political actors, and the security agencies on the peaceful conduct of the election.

E-3G bared their minds on Monday in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Odinaka Okechukwu, after a post-mortem of the weekend’s election in the state.

“We congratulate Mr. Peter Obi and all the Obidients on a superlative outing in the last Saturday’s presidential election. This is a welcome development for the nation’s democracy. Irrespective of the final outcome, winning Lagos is a clear indication of Nigerians uniting for a great course beyond ethnic, political, and religious boundaries.

“However, truth is that the outcome of the 2023 National Assembly where the Labour Party cleared seven out of the eight seats does not reflect the popularity and political strengths of many of the eventual winners.

“Just as it happens when you have a strong and generally accepted presidential candidate, many candidates, some of who are of questionable character, and could not ordinarily have won elections on their own merits, latched on Enugu people’s love for Obi, to win National Assembly seats, as the electorate thumb-printed the Labour Party across board.

“Now that the presidential election is over, it is our logical thinking that people will look beyond political parties and set out to elect the most competent and credible candidate with track record of accomplishments outside political offices and patronage to govern Enugu State at a time of national economic crisis and dire development challenges in Enugu State.

“Therefore, anybody hoping to simply ride on the Peter Obi effect to the Enugu Government House or Enugu State House of Assembly will have him or herself to blame. Labour Party candidates had better utilise the remaining campaign window to market themselves robustly to the Enugu voters to stand a chance”, the group stated.