From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
Presidential candidate of Nigeria for Democracy, NFD, during the 2019 general elections, Dr. Asuquo Mendie Archibong, has said that the next governor of Enugu State, come 2023, will come from his party, NFD.
Archibong pointed out that they have mapped out plans to actualise the tall dream.
The presidential candidate, who is also the national chairman of NFD, disclosed this at a one-day summit tagged: “Promoting Participatory Democracy at the Local Government; Enugu State in Focus,” organised by the Enugu State chapter of the party, weekend in Enugu.
Archibong said that when political parties are being mentioned, NFD is hardly mentioned but it will surprise people how they are going to make inroads in future elections.
According to him, to capture Enugu State in the future elections, especially now that council elections are around the corner, the party will constitute leaders in the 3 senatorial zones of the state, 17 local government leaders and 260 ward leaders who will campaign vigorously for the party.
“We can take over by getting senatorial leaders who will choose the local government leaders, who in turn will produce ward leaders.
” We received votes in all the states in Nigeria during the last general elections. The party members mobilised their people very well especially in the North. NFD is not a regional party but a national party and we have representatives in all the states.
“After elections, other parties fizzle out but NFD has continued. We are focusing on taking back Nigeria, Enugu State inclusive,” the Akwa Ibom born politician said.
The former presidential candidate expressed optimism that his party will win in future elections because he believed so much in God who can do all things.
He said that some parties spent millions for their parties to be registered but NFD did not spend a kobo to be registered.
“We didn’t pay a kobo to be registered as a political party. I did not receive a kobo from expression of interest forms to vie for any political position,” he said pointed out that the same God that saw them through registration will see them through in future elections, not withstanding that the party was registered shortly before a build up to the 2019 general elections.
Speaking at the occasion, NFD chairman in Enugu State, Hon. Ujunwa Nnaji, said that the summit was, “conceived as a flagship programme of the NFD providing avenue to engage critical political stakeholders to evaluate the progress of our political development in a thematic area.
Nnaji said that the summit focused in democracy at the third tier of government and the scope is Enugu State, pointing out that “NFD is worried about the absymal development in our local government areas.”
Enugu State resident electoral commissioner, INEC, Dr. Emeka Ononamadu, speaking on the theme of the Summit blamed politicians and political parties for not allowing free and fair election.
Ononamadu said that political parties fail to conduct credible and transparent primaries and rub off on governance eventually.
He said that it is the people that conduct elections not INEC that merely facilitates elections.
“INEC facilitates elections, Nigerians conduct elections. How can I oversee all the polling units in the state? Every stakeholder has to ensure that a credible election is conducted.”
