Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has once again demonstrated that he is truly a Democrat both in words and actions. What played out at the February 23 state wide local council elections was a confirmation of the people’s enormous power to freely choose their representatives in the political arena. Interestingly, the modern democratic principles had placed such enormous responsibility on the people to determine who governs them at all levels of government. And Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi proved to be a pro democrat by granting the people both the power and the authority which they wielded during the February 23 local government elections by electing men and women of their choices.
The crystallization of the just concluded local government election in Enugu State which ended in praise followed painstaking efforts of the governor to let the people have their say on whom they want to represent them at the local government level. And as soon as it was clear that the tenure of the present local government Executives will soon expire and the usual body language of the democratic governor having given indication that the needful for the election of the next crop of grassroots leaders must happen, the state Independent Electoral body swung into action to draw up the time table for the processes leading to the election which happened on the 23rd of February, 2022.
The beauty of that election which produced all the 17 local government Chairmen and about 260 Councilors on the platform of the ruling political party in the state stems from the efforts of the governor to involve the people in the selection of their preferred candidates. Interestingly, the unwritten code to rotate political offices even among communities and clans played very vital role in choosing the best of the best from among the political wards and communities whose turn it is to provide the party with it’s candidates. Governor Ugwuanyi did not just stop at ensuring that consensus candidates emerge among the locals chosen by themselves, he was to undertake a very powerful, enthusiastic and engaging political rally across the length and breath of the state to drum support for the party’s candidates which eventually turned like a walk over of sort when the exercise went underway. Governor Ugwuanyi did not sit in the comfort of his office and have the candidates sweat out the campaign efforts while believing that miracle will surely happen.
It may therefore be right to assert that the people who saw Ugwuanyi’s face at all the campaign grounds connected with him and what he stands for, while at the time believing that he would never decieve them and that those he had supported or endorsed must be his true disciples.
It is important to remark too that in the course of choosing consensus candidates for the party in the concluded election, the incumbents who were discovered to have derailed in the provision of democracy dividends to the people of their area were eased out and never allowed to recontest their positions. Ugwuanyi allowed the people to have their final say. This is a warning to the incoming leaders at the grassroots that the era of imposition of unwanted shenanigans as leaders is gone and forever. God forbid that Ugwuanyi is gone tomorrow and his successor might want to impose candidates, the people will be able to reject such impostors at the poll.
Following the jubilation which trailed the announcement of the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), to the effect that the Peoples Democratic Party have cleared all the 17 and 260 Chairmanship and Councilorship available seats respectively.
Now who would want to contest that Enugu State is still not in the hands of God and forever…
Bibian Anekwe News added: “Being a champion is not just being a frontrunner and being ahead, but it’s facing adversity”.
Written by
Austin Okechukwu Chijioke.
Public Affairs Commentator.
Media Team Member of ENUGU DI N’AKACHUKWU MOVEMENT
