By: Ikenna Oluka

In Enugu State, the incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Ugwanyi of the PDP won his re-election bid as he beat his opponents to win the governorship poll. Ugwuanyi cleared all the 17 Local Government Areas results.

Announcing the results, the state Returning Officer, who is also the Vice-Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, said the PDP candidate polled 449,935 to defeat the APC’s Ayogu Eze who polled 10,423 to come a distant second.

Here is the full speech:

​ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY THE GOVERNOR OF ENUGU STATE, HIS EXCELLENCY, RT. HON. IFEANYI UGWUANYI (GBURUGBURU) FOLLOWING HIS VICTORY IN THE MARCH 9, 2019 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

PROTOCOLS

Ndi Enugu,

Enugu State is, truly, in the hands of God and in all that we do, we give God due glory, honour and adoration, for He is, indeed, a faithful God.

It is with a heart full of joy and thanksgiving that we exalt the Almighty God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob and the awesome God of David for the resounding victory that He granted us in the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly elections in Enugu State.

Therefore, with utmost gratitude and humility, I wholeheartedly accept the mandate that you, the good people of Enugu State have, again, bestowed on me. This victory does not belong to me alone. It belongs to Ndi Enugu – our political leaders and other stakeholders irrespective of party affiliations; the market men and women, the barrow pushers, taxi and commercial bus drivers, Okada and Keke riders, petty traders, other artisans, town union and community leaders, the clergy, our revered traditional rulers, civil servants, the farmers, the professional class, youth and women groups, students and others who are the true heroes of our democracy.

And so, to you, Ndi Enugu, I am deeply humbled that you have, once again, invested your trust and faith in our team. It is now for me and my able Deputy, Her Excellency, Lolo Cecilia Ezeilo to continue to work for you.

In truth, the victory is not a winner-takes-all. In our spirit of brotherhood, everyone is a winner. Therefore, I reach out my hand of friendship and partnership to my fellow contestants. I invite all of you to join hands with me so that together, we shall build a better Enugu State, to the glory of God.

I want to put on record our gratitude to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) for his exemplary leadership and for providing the enabling environment that ensured the peaceful conduct of elections in our State.

I also salute the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a job well done and for keeping alive the dream of a brighter democracy. We are equally grateful to the Nigerian security agencies and the independent observers who ensured that we had peaceful processes at the polls.

To the leadership and entire membership of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), our campaign team and the support groups, I hereby express my gratitude for the wonderful job that you all did. I am very proud of your contributions.   

Today, we pledge to devote our energies and time to work harder for the wellbeing and prosperity of all our people. We are open to new ideas and new visions, as we continue to lay the solid foundation for a more prosperous Enugu State.

I hereby reaffirm that we will continue to serve you with the fear of God, with humility and an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of our people and lifting the State to unprecedented heights of development and progress.

Now is the time to get back to work. We are inspired by the sacrifices and support of our people in renewing our mandate. I am confident that by the special grace of God and with your continuing cooperation and prayers, all things concerning Enugu State will continue to end in praise.

Thank you all and may God continue to bless you and prosper Enugu State, in Jesus Name. Amen.

Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi

Governor, Enugu State.