The Senator-elect for Enugu North senatorial district, Chief Okey Ezea, has declared the march 11, 2023 governorship election in Enugu State as “a do or die game” for the people of the senatorial district otherwise known as Nsukka zone.
The lawyer and politician, who was the Labour Party candidate in and emerged the winner ahead of governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in the February 25 National Assembly election, also urged the youth of the zone to “prepare very well” for the polls.
Ezea stated these while addressing his supporters in Igboeze South LGA after his victory, urging the people not to celebrate yet as the main election for Nsukka zone was still ahead.
Although the governorship election is geopolitically a contest among candidates from Enugu East senatorial zone, the Labour Party candidate, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, hails from Isi-Uzo, which was part of the old Nsukka zone and progenitor of Udenu, the LGA of the incumbent governor. Edeoga’s candidacy is seen as an opportunity for the people of Nsukka zone to retain power for another eight years.
“We have all received the result as the winners of the election. When we embarked on this project, we approached the Reverend Father and the traditional ruler to have their buy-in. That is exactly why we have also invited them here today to rejoice with us and to bless what we will eat today.
“We have election on the 11th of March and that is the most important. Listen, you could see that I am not drinking like others because the battle ahead is fiercer than the February 25th battle that we won.
“If we had 400 votes in each polling unit in the February 25th election, we want 1,000 votes in each poling unit now. In the last election, an Nsukka man must be the senator, but the March 11th election is a straight fight between Nsukka and Nkanu to know who is bigger than the other because Nkanu people want to turn us, the majority, to minority.
“So, you must prepare very well. You must make sure the directive goes round. This is about Nsukka, period. Let’s save Nsukka now.
“I want to tell the people of Igboeze South that the bad road running from Iheaka to Iheakpu, Ibagwa, Ichi, Unadu, can only be constructed by a governor, not a senator. So, we must produce another governor of Nsukka extraction today, not tomorrow. We can only achieve all that we promised you as senatorial and House of Representatives candidates if we retain the governorship of Enugu State in Nsukka.
“Therefore, let no one drink or dance. We can only drink after the March 11th election.
“Young men, please, you must prepare yourselves very well. We are going into a war on March 11th and it is a do or die game. Nobody can come from outside to Nkanu vote to intimidate us here” he stated.
See video below (Igbo language):
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