Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Enugu State, is not giving chances in its desire to maintain its stronghold of the political leadership of Enugu State. In addition to the campaign structure of Peter Mbah, its governorship candidate, there are over 50 established support groups in almost all communities in the state.
Most of the supporter groups sponsor themselves to ensure that Mbah becomes the next governor. Among the groups is a popular one called O42 Support Group with Peter Ajah as the leader.
Speaking to BusinessDay on why the group chose to sponsor themselves, Ajah said that the group is supporting Mbah because among all the other governorship candidates in Enugu, he has the capacity and all it takes to lead the state.
“We spend our money to support Mbah because we know he is an industrialist, and would create jobs,” he said.
Despite all, the state wing of the party recently constituted a powerful campaign team committee made up of over 1700 stakeholders to ensure that the governorship candidate and all the other candidates of the party in the state sail through.
The PDP campaign train, which has taken off, is planned to visit all the 17 council areas and 57 development centers in the state starting from Aniniri, the aim is to ensure that people of those areas will hear the incoming governor and the stuff he is made of and also to convince the electorates to vote for only candidates of the party in all the elections.
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Although the 2023 election may not be election as usual hence the PDP strategically brought into the game the founding fathers of the party, Jim Nwobodo, the ex civilian governor of defunct old Anambra State and Okwy Nwodo, the pioneer civilian governor of Enugu State and a former national chairman of the party into its campaign as catalysts and members of the advisory council.
The state PDP Campaign organisation with the DG Ikeji Asokwa also shared the position of deputy director general of the campaign organisations across the three senatorial zones of the state, with Dan Shere, a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) as deputy director general, Enugu North senatorial zone. Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, who represented Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency, in the House of Representatives, was appointed deputy director general, Enugu West senatorial district, while Okey Ogbodo is deputy director general for Enugu East senatorial district. Eric Oluedo, a stalwart of the party, in Enugu State is the secretary general of Enugu State PDP campaign committee. These men are well selected based on their political powers within their zones.
Other relevant politicians in various committees include; KGB Oguakwa, USA Igwesi, Martins Chukwunwike and Nana Ogbodo, these are no political push overs in the state.
The campaign team was structured in a way that trade union, diaspora and women organisations were fully captured with capable hands like Uwakwe Ezeja, Rita Mbah and Olangwa to specifically handle.
All the strong arrangements, according to a PDP stalwart, are to fortify the campaign team to ensure that PDP retains the state it has been controlling since 1999.
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