Peter Mbah, governor-elect of Enugu State, has promised to be a governor for all parts of the state, irrespective of the cultural divide.
He assured that there would be no discrimination in his administration.
Mbah, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Saturday’s governorship election, who was declared the winner of the poll on Wednesday night, made the solemn promise on Thursday during his victory speech.
“Let me restate that ours will not be a government of any section of Enugu State. It is your government, Ndi Enugu,” he said.
“Under our administration, there can never be a 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 for 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 out from our state.”
Mbah said the Enugu people are the heroes of the electoral victory and they defied every odd to stand with their conviction.
“It is why you, Ndi Enugu, are the heroes 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 apparel. And when it was time to stand and be counted with your votes, Ndi Enugu, you did not let us down.
“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.
“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.”
Mbah who defeated his closest rival, Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party, with a slim margin of 3,343, however, called on his rivals to join hands with him to give the people of Enugu the future they deserve.
“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.
“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.”