After a dogged fight, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Mbah as the winner of the March 18 governorship election in Enugu State.

Mbah polled 160,895 votes slightly above his closest rivals — Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party (LP) who scored 157,552 and Uche Nnaji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who got 14,575 votes, amongst others.

GrassRoots.ng brings to you the Full Text of Acceptance Speech by Dr. PeterNdubuisi Mbah, the Enugu State Governor-Elect”:

1. Ndi Enugu

2. This is your Peter Ndubuisi Mbah. As you all know, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced my election as your governor-elect

3. I accept this announcement with a glad, solemn and grateful heart and with only one obligation: to devote every tissue of my flesh, the totality of my mind and spirit to the task of the greatness of Enugu State.

4. This victory could not have been won except for God, with the active support of you, the people of Enugu State. While extending my gratitude to you, permit me to appreciate the current governor of our state and members of his cabinet; statesmen; our party leaders; security operatives; religious leaders; civil society groups, the media, and everyone who made this a reality.

5. Like every electoral process, the journey of the last few months was intense. The one of the last three days was even fiercer. Enugu was literally at a standstill, waiting, with baited breath, for justice to take its course. There was restiveness in our youths and apprehension in the minds of the entire NdiEnugu. The fear was that there could be miscarriage of justice. On the streets of Enugu, you could feel the palpable air of an overheated polity brought by the prolonged, tortuous road to justice of the last 72 hours.

6. Let me salute the dogged resolve of the people of Enugu State. I must particularly single out the patriotic men and women who, inside rain and skin-pelting sunshine, chose to occupy the INEC office in the last 72 hours. Their resolute resolve pointed at one single cause: That they are in a hurry for Enugu to connect with all the lofty goals that our administration is bringing to bear in our dear state.

7. Let me restate that ours will not be a government of any section of Enugu State. It is your government, Ndi Enugu. Under our administration, there can never be division between Nsukka and Nkanu or any other section of the state. We are all brothers and sisters. Those who attempted to create a wedge between us failed woefully. We were massively voted by every section of the state. Those who wanted to smack our heads together had an ulterior motive and it was to create perpetual fussing and fighting between us. We resisted their machination and today, we are coming together stronger. Our resolve thereafter is to pursue the spirit of divisiveness from our state.

8. Since the electioneering process began, though the road was rough, it was obvious that we were not alone on the rough road. At every intersection of the rough road, Ndi Enugu were with us. Collectively, we trudged along with bravery and strength of character. Your presence shielded us from rough tackles that were aimed at our spine.

9. It is why you, Ndi Enugu, are the hero of this victory. You sowed your sweats and prolonged discomfort that earned us this victory. In the hot and torrid sun, you were with us; when the rain – literally and metaphorically – drenched us, you stood by us, offering your clothes to damp our wet apparels. And when it was time to stand and be counted with your votes, Ndi Enugu, you did not let us down.

10. The choice you made is clear. You did not go through all those grueling moments for the sake of the fleeting berries of today. You made a huge investment for your tomorrow, for the tomorrow of your children and children’s children. You chose to deprive yourselves of the perishable and glittering rewards of now so that a greater tomorrow can come.

11. In choosing us, you did not allow mundane reasons to stop you. You abandoned political party divides, religious denomination cleavages, clan and tribe. All you demanded was the candidate who would guarantee a tomorrow for you and generations of Enugu to come. 

12. Now, Ndi Enugu, that tomorrow is here. Let me pledge to you, once again, that I will serve you and dedicate every of the 1,460 days that make up this initial tenure of office to serving you. I will remember the coarse road you travailed to get us here. In reply, we will speak resoundingly with policies of government that will give you comfort and rest of mind.

13. As I told you during the campaign, the administration we will run will bring joy to your hearts. We will make you remember March 18, 2023 with a toothy smile. In infrastructure, health, tourism, education and development of our state in general, we will run a government that you can be proud of. We are in a hurry to dualize the Abakpa, Ugwuogo Nike-Nsukka road, build a monorail from Enugu to Nsukka, Udi, Awgu and construct a ring road to connect all the 17 local government areas of Enugu State. 

14. We are in a hurry to build a world class Theme Park in Enugu. We are in a hurry to establish Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in all the local government areas, as well as Agro-Allied Processing Zones and Industrial Parks in all our senatorial zones. 

15. We are in a hurry to unleash the tech talents in our young people, and grow and nurture their interest in business and vocations skills. We shall build a School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), an Innovation Incubation Centre, as well as a Skill Enhancement Centre in each of the three senatorial zones.  

16. Ours shall not be an administration by a section of the state. We shall run an all-inclusive government designed to provide an inclusive economic development for our dear state. 

17. As we bring water to all homes in Enugu metropolis in 180 days of our being sworn in, we shall bring water, in the shortest possible time, to Nsukka, Oji River, Udi, Awgu and others too. We shall frontally confront the infrastructural deficits in all parts of the state and no one will be left behind.

18. Let me, at this juncture, call on everyone to join me in this task of chiseling a great tomorrow from the rock of a despondent today. In the elections that we ran, we are all winners. No one is a victor, nor is anyone vanquished. The task at hand transcends emotions, politics and other mundane divides. 

19. It is why I extend my hands of fellowship to all my colleagues with whom I ran the gubernatorial election. Our dear Enugu State is greater than all of us. Let us come together and give our people a tomorrow that befits their hard-work, industry and ancestry of greatness.

20. Once again, Ndi Enugu, I thank you for reposing your trust in us. Together, our tomorrow is here.