Enugu: Why PDP Governorship Candidate, Mba, Was Chased Out Of Campaign Rally

By Charles Igbo

Peter Mba, the cerebral Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has had a rough time given to him on his Campaign Train.

Mba, who is on the final rounds of his campaign for the Governorship Election against 11th March, 2023, was given a hostile welcome at the Ugiri Isieke Community, Enugu State, on Monday.

On arrival to address the gathered audience, Mba and company were chased away by scores of youths who said they didn’t want to see him, and that he should go back with whatever he brought for them.

They were singing praises of the Labour Party and its Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, as they embarked on the destruction of the drinks brought for the Rally.

An eye witness said Mba had to quickly dash into the Parish Priest’s House within the venue of the Rally to escape further embarrassments.

Until now, Enugu State, since Democracy in 1999, has been a PDP State. All its Governors, since then – Chimaroke Nnamani, Sullivan Chime, and the incumbent Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi – have been PDP.

But the PDP is fast losing grip on the State.

In the 25th February 2023, Presidential and National Assembly elections, the PDP lost the State in a landslide to the Labour Party, LP, which won in all the Local Government Areas. It was so bad that Governor Ugwuanyi lost his Senatorial  bid to the LP Candidate.

Not a few people have attributed the poor performance of the PDP to four factors.

The first is the Peter Obi- effect.

The second is  Governor Ugwuanyi’s membership of  Governor Nyesom Wike’s G5. His membership of the Group which is against the Leadership of the PDP and its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, affected the Party in Enugu. Not a few people watched in dismay, as Ugwuanyi tagged along Wike like his Aide, junketting within and outside Nigeria.

The third is the public support of Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, a two- term Governor of the State, for the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, now declared President-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Not a few people were shocked that Nnamani abandoned the Party which gave him prominence in Nigeria for Tinubu. They were also unhappy that he ran down Obi, at least, on one occasion.

Finally, the brutal murder of Barrister Oyibo Chukwu, the LP Senatorial Candidate, a few days the the Senatorial Election, angered most people, and attracted sympathy for the LP. Chukwu’s opponent is Chimaroke Nnamani who has been expelled by the PDP, but, according to INEC, remains a candidate.

The late Candidate’s brother, Kevin Chukwu,  has been chosen as a replacement for his brother. He will, among other candidates, face Chimaroke.

Mba, a Chimaroke “boy”, will, among others, face LP’s  Chijioke Edoga and Frank Nweke, another Chimaroke “boy” of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA. They are the three front runners.