Ahead of the 2023 general elections, a former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirant in Enugu State, Dr. Kingsley Udeh has again declared support for the gubernatorial standard bearer of the party, Barr. Peter Ndubuishi Mbah stressing that his decision to collapse his campaign group into Mbah’s mainstream campaign body was motivated by the credibility and qualities the governorship candidate possessed.

Udeh, who disclosed this over the weekend at a reception organised in honour of Mbah in Enugu where he officially unveiled his support group for the PDP candidate, stated that every political outcome especially in party politics should be accepted by politicians in the spirit of sportsmanship and brotherhood.

Unveiling the support group, Udeh, a former Special Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Education, disclosed the name of the group as Udeh Enugu for Peter Mbah Support Group, while stressing that the decision to declare their support and solidarity for Mbah’s candidacy was borne out of conviction on his strong moral rectitude, entrepreneurial skills and impressive blueprint for the development of the state.

“I want to use this opportunity to appreciate the incoming Governor of Enugu State, Dr Barr Peter Mbah, my own brother for honouring this invitation and reception organised for him by the Udeh Enugu for Peter Mbah Support Group. The support group is geared towards delivering our candidate in all the wards across Enugu State.

“As we are all aware, I once vied for the position of governor of the state under PDP. However, in Enugu state under the PDP, our political style is that of siblings. We play by the rules with the spirit of sportsmanship. For us politics must be played without bitterness. Politics must be projected for governance. And it must be regarded as a game and every good player in any game knows there’s what is called sportsmanship.

“Beyond that, my brother here, Barr Peter Mbah possesses everything that is required for good governance. He has all the qualities one could use to assess a best candidate for governorship seat. He has the intellectual energy, the youthfulness, the vision. In fact, from the first day we started talking immediately after the 25th May primary election, I’ve consistently observed certain thing in him, and that’s his deliberate push on how to increase exponentially the GDP of Enugu State, how to eradicate poverty in our state, with development blueprints, development projects, job creations, and he keeps drawing the map both indoors and outside on the way forward,” he added.

Further addressing the dignitaries at the event, Udeh expressed confidence that Mbah would take the state beyond the economic stagnation facing the country by nurturing a business friendly environment and ease of business doing.

“Barrister Peter Mbah has all it takes and he equally represents all I stand for; the very essence of what spurred me into the governorship race in the first place. We’ve been conversing already and I’ve instructed my supporters and other support groups to collapse their structures into his own and I’m glad they are already working for him.

“One of the things our candidate has commenced in earnest is how to attract foreign investment to the state because the state ordinarily does not have the economic wherewithal to cater for all his agenda, and this necessitated sourcing for other means of revenue generation. So we need monies from different parts of the world. In fact, this shows how passionate we are about this project”.

“So our candidate represents everything good that I ever had in mind to do for the people of Enugu. That’s why I and members of my group, both in Enugu, outside Enugu and across Nigeria, after our discussions, arrived at a consensus to work with our candidate and to formally subsume all our support; totally to the candidate of our great party, Dr. Peter Mbah, and that’s what this event is set out to achieve today. To show our sincerity of purpose and wholehearted acceptance of Dr. Peter Mbah’s candidature”, he stated.

Lauding as uncommon gesture the cordiality within the PDP in Enugu State, the Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Sen. Uche Lilian Ekwunife expressed satisfaction over the progress and unity she saw among party members.

While referring Mbah as the “innovative disruptor” and entrepreneur par excellence, the senator commended the progress recorded in the state over the past years by the PDP, maintaining that the party would win in all levels of the state.

On his part, the State party chairman, Hon. Augustine Nnamani commended Udeh for his spirit of sportsmanship and understanding urging other aspirants to follow suit.

Nnamani who maintained that the party would continue to work in order to reach out to supporters expressed confidence in the programmes of Mbah for the state.

Responding, the elated PDP gubernatorial flagbearer conveyed his appreciation to Udeh and his family for contributing to the unity of the party in the state.

“I would like to appreciate our host and convener of Udeh Enugu for Peter Mbah Support Group, Dr. Kingsley Udeh for his efforts. He has done well and his gesture will never be taken for granted.

“Our host, Dr. Kingsley Udeh was one of the governorship aspirants and before the primary election started, he declared his support for me before the public. Kingsley represents the best of us. In the civilized climes, primary elections are always like a meeting among kinsmen where they would dialogue and nominate one person out of the aspirants to represent others. And that’s what happened on the 25th day of May 2022 in our dear state,” Mbah maintained.

The governorship hopeful further stated that Enugu state was fortunate to have PDP at the helms of affairs for the past 23 years, saying the state had witnessed massive buildout of new infrastructure. He maintained that over the past seven years Enugu State had been paying salaries promptly and had been adjudged as one of the most peaceful and safest states in the country.

He, therefore, pledged that the state under his watch would sustain the good governance mantra of the present administration, promising to liberate the state from the national economic challenges through his programmes encapsulated in peace, development and prosperity.