Mbah Inaugurates State Electoral Commission, Demands Free, Fair Elections

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has inaugurated the newly constituted Chairman and members of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), sequel to the provisions of Section 4(1) of the ENSIEC Law, charging them on free, fair, and credible polls.

The new ENSIEC leadership, which had earlier been confirmed by the Enugu State House of Assembly has Professor Christian Ngwu as Chairman, and Solomon Udeh, Chinenyenwa Ogbu, George Ani, Arthur Ede, Paully Eze, and Emeka Ukwuaba as members. Barr. Ifesinachi Umeobika is the Commission Secretary.

Performing the inauguration at the Government House Enugu on Thursday, Mbah said the electoral body’s new board was highly qualified in capacity and character as testified to by the dispatch with which their nominations were ratified by the Enugu State House of Assembly.

He said: “The presidential system of government we practice creates several tiers of government and your appointment and subsequent ratification has now put you in a position where you have to administer the conduct of election into the local government councils, the third and a critical tier of government.

“You are, therefore, charged with the responsibility to ensure that the rule and the procedures governing election into the local government councils are conducted in a free, fair and credible manner.

“As unbiased umpires, the people of Enugu State would be looking up to you to ensure that the rules are applied strictly without fear or favour. Therefore, we will be counting on you to discharge yourselves creditably in your new roles. Some of you are already in the system as you were reappointed and we expect you to bring your experience to bear.

“On that note, it is my honour and pleasure and by virtue of the Section 4 (1) of the ENSIEC Law, I here by inaugurate you.”

Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of the new ENSIEC leadership, the Chairman, Prof. Christian Ngwu, expressed profound gratitude to the governor for finding them worthy to serve the people of Enugu State in that capacity, assuring that they would reinvigorate ENSIEC and provide a level playing ground for all political parties.

“On behalf of my members, I wish to reassure you that we are going to reengineer ENSIEC in accordance with government’s disruptive innovation mantra. We will reengineer, reinvigorate and re-enliven ENSIEC. It is going to be a level playing ground for every political party.

“This is a double assurance to the people of Enugu State that we will leave ENSIEC far better than we are going to meet it and that we will never disappoint them,” Prof. Ngwu stressed.