Politics
Enugu PDP Flags-Off Campaign For LG Elections
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) campaign for the December 5, 2009 local government election in Enugu State has been flagged -off by the state governor, Barrister Sullivan 1. Chime with a call to the people to vote all the 17 chairmanship candidates of the party into office.
Governor Chime who made the call while addressing members and supporters of the party at Okpara Square, Enugu, last Friday noted that PDP in Enugu state presently was no longer a closed door affair as everything was now done in the open in the spirit of due process and transparency. PDP, he went on, is no longer a one man show, but a collective affair of all members of the party, and commended members of the party in the state for the peaceful conduct of the primaries that gave rise to the election of the 17 candidates bearing the party’s flag in the forthcoming local government elections in the state.
According to him, out of the 260 council seats, 240 were returned unopposed while out of the 17 local government councils in the state, 10 equally were returned unopposed.
While maintaining that PDP as a political Party would not take any thing for granted, Governor Chime made it clear that the party in the state hasd no credible opposition currently, adding that chairmanship candidates from other political parties had thrown in the towel.
“We are not looking forward to any rigging. We are not taking anything for granted. After two years, PDP members in the state came together as a team and made some changes in the overall interest of our people. We thank God that we have been able to surmount some problems created by those who think the PDP is their personal property. It is by the will of God that we have been able to achieve the things we have achieved so far.”
Speaking earlier, a member of PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Bernard Eze, advised all the 17 local government councils in the state to emulate the leadership qualities of Governor Chime by initiating different developmental programmes in the various local government councils in the state.
His words: “If chairmen of local government councils emulate Governor Chime in his development strides, Enugu will be another London and our people will have no need to travel abroad for whatever reasons.
According to him, Governor Chime had so much transformed Enugu state to the extent that everybody was now feeling the impact of good governance, calling on the people to keep on supporting him to encourage him to do more.
The highpoint of the ceremony that attracted the presence of top PDP heavy-weights within and outside the state was the official presentation by Governor Chime of the party’s flag to each of the 17 PDP candidates in the state.
During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.
The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”
“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.
“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.
The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”
They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”
The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”
The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.
- A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
- An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
- A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.
The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”
“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.
“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern that preventing the senator from resuming her legislative duties violates democratic principles and disenfranchises her constituents.
“The suspension, having been imposed by the Senate and not a court of law, has lapsed. Any further attempt to prevent her from resuming is therefore both illegal and morally indefensible,” Mallam Abdullahi said.
The party noted that denying Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan access to the chamber silences the voice of the people who elected her, adding that the withdrawal of her salary, aides, and office access during the suspension amounted to excessive punishment.
The ADC also criticised the Clerk of the National Assembly for declining to process her resumption on grounds that the matter was before the courts, arguing that the Clerk’s role was administrative, not judicial.
“Administrative caution must not translate into complicity. When the administrative machinery becomes hostage to political interests, the institution itself is diminished,” the party stated.
Highlighting that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of only four women in the 109-member Senate, the ADC warned that the handling of the case sends a discouraging signal about gender inclusion in Nigerian politics.
“Any action that resembles gender intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women’s participation. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while excluding half of its population from key decision-making spaces,” Mallam Abdullahi added.
The ADC insisted that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan be allowed to resume her seat immediately, stressing that the matter was about more than one individual.
“What is at stake here is not just one Senate seat, but the integrity of our democracy itself,” the party said.
