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66 out of 120 persons who claimed to be Abiola’s children failed DNA test —Olalekan
…Says ‘my father had a lot of women’
Son of late Chief MKO Abiola, Mr Olalekan Abiola has revealed that 66 persons who claimed to be his father’s children failed a DNA test.
He made the revelation during an interview with Vanguard in commemoration of the anniversary in honour of the late business mogul and widely acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 election.
While revealing his late father had a lot of women, he stressed, however, that a lot of the women themselves to him willingly.
“The only thing you could say about my father that was kind of negative was that he had a lot of women but a lot of these women were those that came to him to give themselves to him willingly,” he disclosed.
Olalekan said some of the women came along with their children, claiming that their husbands had abandoned them.
He said out of his generosity, his late father would shelter some of them and carter for their welfare, adding shortly after such women would start calling themselves Mrs. Abiola, even though many of them were not.
“They would change their children’s names to Abiola and that was why my father wrote in his will that DNA test had to be done for all those who claimed to be his children.
“About 120 children came forward to say they were MKO’s children but only 54 of them passed the DNA test at the end of the day (meaning 66 failed).
“So it was these women who were the ones coming to him and not him going around looking for them. When my father was alive back then, we saw women outside the house everyday,” he told Vanguard.
He revealed that about 10 to 15 different women, with different shapes and complexions, would come to see his father then for one thing or the other everyday.
Olalekan equally described his mother’s demise as the most painful going by the manner she was assassinated.
“Honestly, it’s been 27 years of trauma, especially with my mother’s assassination.
“I am saying this because she was all the way with us at home when my father was in detention at that time.
“She was not arrested, she was not detained by the military junta and she was not under house arrest.
“One minute my mom was at home, in good health, and the next minute she had been shot. So that was more painful, more traumatic than the fate my father suffered.
“In my dad’s case, he had been locked up for like four years before he died, so we had been used to not seeing him anymore,” he further stated.
Olalekan also lamented the failure of successive administrations to pay the debt owed to his late father.
He said the late business mogul handled some contracts, including supplies to some government ministries but that the money had not been paid till date.
According to him, former president Olusegun Obasanjo had promised to offset the debt but never did until he left office.
He added that the matter was also brought to the attention of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan who also pledged to pay when he returns for a second term. He said the promise did not materialise as Jonathan lost re-election.
He added that former president Muhammadu Buhari at least gave the family June 12 as Democracy Day.
Olalekan further noted that President Bola Tinubu has not said anything about it yet.
THE FULL INTERVIEW:
Olalekan Abiola, one of the children of the late business mogul and politician, Chief MKO Abiola, the widely acclaimed winner of the election, spoke to Sunday Vanguard during the anniversary at the family residence in Ikeja, Lagos
He also shared his views on the best way to immortalize his father among other issues
Excerpts:
It has been over 30 years since the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election and over 27 years since the demise of your parents. How has the journey been so far for the family?
Honestly, it’s been 27 years of trauma, especially with my mother’s assassination. I am saying this because she was all the way with us at home when my father was in detention at that time. She was not arrested, she was not detained by the military junta and she was not under house arrest.
One minute my mom was at home, in good health, and the next minute she had been shot. So that was more painful, more traumatic than the fate my father suffered.
In my dad’s case, he had been locked up for like four years before he died, so we had been used to not seeing him anymore.
Four years before he (MKO Abiola) died, he was already in detention but my late mom was the one that we could talk to and relate with. All the time, we were on the phone with her a couple of days before she died. We were expecting her to come and see us in the US when she was killed. That was more traumatic than my father’s own, but equally they were both painful, definitely.
“But now that my mother has been killed, we were hoping that my daddy will come back to us, so that we will be able to try to rebuild our lives”, but that never happened. So it happened that, basically, due to June 12th agitation we lost both parents. So it is both painful.
How has the family been able to navigate through all?
Well, we’re quite fortunate that our parents educated us. So we’re all educated. So we all can work and engage in some form of business activities. Both parents were equally well-off. Even though my father’s companies have been hijacked by my older brother, Kola, my mother still left quite enough for us to be able to survive with. I won’t say I cannot complain, because I know that I’m better off.
What about support from your late parents’ friends, and family members
It’s (support) been here and there. Initially, when this current democratic journey began in 1999, we got some level of support but a lot of failed promises from officials of government who would promise to help rebuild my late father’s business concerns. They, Federal Government till date promised to pay the debts that they are owing my father to the family. They never did it till the moment.
How much does the Federal Government owe your late father?
I’m not sure what the figure is but successive administrations, from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, kept promising to pay the debts. They will always promise to set up a committee to pay back the debts but none of them ever did. My father had many outstanding debts accruing to him in several ministries. Ministry of Communications; there is one that I know of in the Ministry of Education because his companies supplied books and the Ministry of Defense. So these are the three ministries where these monies were meant to be paid from.
The Obasanjo government said they had to set up a committee to go and do an audit but they never did before they left office. When (former President Goodluck) Jonathan became President, the first two years, it was almost impossible to get to him and by the time we were able to meet him, it was like election time was approaching. So, he said I should not worry, that once the election was over and he gets a second term, it is one of the first things that he would do but he never came back.
Then, Muhammed Buhari came, he too didn’t act but he gave us June 12 Democracy Day. And maybe, he thought that since he’s done that he felt he didn’t have to pay us. Now that President Bola Tinubu is there, hopefully he is going to do the audit and pay off the long outstanding debts.
Has he (Tinubu) promised the family?
He has not said anything about it yet.
Do you feel betrayed by his (MKO’s) travails in the hands of his military junta’s friends considering their closeness?
I think that the main issue with my father is that he was ahead of his time in so many ways. I am saying so because, today, if anybody wins election in Nigeria, no matter the tribe, that person is going to be sworn-in. The worst thing they will tell you is to go to court. Once you get to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court declares you the winner, nobody can stop your swearing-in. So my father was ahead of his time, you know.
You see him more as a pathfinder
Yes, he was a pathfinder of some sorts because he was the first Yoruba man to win an election to be annulled in Nigeria. In the past, they didn’t need to annul elections which southerners contested but did not win, but MKO won and he presented some sort of challenge to the status quo who never believed that he was going to break all the barriers that had been placed before him.
This was a Yoruba man who, though was a Muslim with a Muslim running mate, was still voted for massively by Christians. He was a Yoruba man who defeated a Hausa-Fulani man in his home state of Kano. This happened because, MKO had spent so much time cultivating relationships the country.
And when he came out to run, he had support from everywhere. So I think that he was a victim of his own success. He was the first Yoruba man to win an election and he was liked by everybody. Yoruba only win an election in a free and fair contest in the country. They didn’t believe that. They were shocked. So he broke the jinx.
What are the lessons learnt from your late father
I think the most important thing I learnt from him is to hold on to our religion, Islam. I say this because this was what my father did that made people love him. All he did were based on Islam, which teaches us as Muslims to be charitable. My father never drank alcohol. He never went partying. He was not a party freak neither was he a gambler. The only thing you could say about my father that was kind of negative was that he had a lot of women but a lot of these women were those that came to him to give themselves to him willingly. Some of them came with children and said their husbands had abandoned them.
They usually begged him for shelter, school fees and even with food. They used to come and line up in front of this house every month to collect their allowances. My father would get some of them apartments or a house. Then they began to call themselves Mrs. Abiola, even though many of them were not. They would change their children’s names to Abiola and that was why my father wrote in his will that DNA test had to be done for all those who claimed to be his children.
About 120 children came forward to say they were MKO’s children but only 54 of them passed the DNA test at the end of the day (meaning 66 failed). So it was these women who were the ones coming to him and not him going around looking for them. When my father was alive back then, we saw women outside the house everyday.
About 10 to 15 different women, with different shapes and complexion, would come to see him for one thing or the other everyday. I think the main lesson I learnt from my dad was holding fast to religion.
So he was very religious…
He was very religious. And he raised us to be very religious. He raised us to pray five times a day and engage in charity which we call Sadaka in Islam. He used to say “I am not carrying this money anywhere. So let me just help people”. And he believed that the more he helped people, the more Allah helped him. Look at how he won the June 12, 1993 election, Allah helped him and even now. The man has been dead for 27 years, yet Nigerians are still bringing his memory back to life as if he died two weeks ago.
Does that really give you any kind of joy?
Of course yes! I am really happy for him. Because how many Nigerians do something or how many people did something meaningful in life and after they have died, people are still remembering what they did? It is incredible. So I am happy for him.
Your view on efforts by governments at the Federal and Ogun State levels to immortalise him
It means that every year Nigerians will have to remember the struggles of those who brought about the current democracy that everyone in the country is enjoying now for which my father and my mother paid the supreme price. So, that is really important for me as their son who is personally feeling the impact of their struggle which have helped us collectively.
Another thing I want them to do is that they should acknowledge that he was actually an elected president that the people of Nigeria freely and fairly voted for to lead them. To properly immortalize him, I am calling on government to consider giving him the honour of putting his picture in the Presidential Villa among the pictures of past Nigerian presidents who served the country in the past.
This is even more so if people like former Head of State Sani Abacha or General Babangida who were never elected by the people but came into power through military coups have their pictures there as former Heads of State. When you even consider the fact that Chief Shonekan who was even an interim head of state is enjoying the same privilege, then the question would now be, why not MKO who was elected by Nigerians should not have his picture displayed in Aso Rock? Another appeal that I am making to the government is that all the allowances and benefits that should have accrued to him as the president of the country be paid to the family in full like the entitlements that are being paid to former leaders should also be awarded to his family as a form of compensation.
And any debt the Federal Government owes him should also be paid to the family. That is I think the least that the family can ask the government to do. The government should do something to make sure that MKO’s legacy is carried out in accordance to the Nigerian law. The Nigerian government should help make sure that his will is implemented according to the Nigerian law.
What is the plan to bring family members together?
Brother Kola ordinarily ought to be the leader for all the children of the late MKO. He should be the leader of all the children. But what he is doing right now? He is the leader of his mother’s children. So Kola has not been able to bring us all together, he has been unable to do so for whatever reason to step into the role. He seems to only care about his own mother’s kids. The issue is that Brother Kola has not shown proper leadership in bringing other children together.
Your opinion on impacts of June 12 struggle on the country’s democracy
I am happy that this has been the longest span in terms of our democratic attempts. As a country, we have celebrated 26 years of unbroken democratic rule which had never happened before. In the past, the longest span had been five years. Again, unlike what had obtained in the past, nobody is going to dominate the others like we used to have.
No tribe Is dominating any other tribe. Next time the presidency comes to the South, it should go to the South-East because they have not gotten it yet. So the next one now we are going to support hopefully somebody from the South-East. There is more equity in the system now than what it used to be. (Sunday Vanguard)
Four students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, and a driver attached to the Niger State Government House have died in a road accident involving a vehicle in the convoy of Governor Mohammed Bago.
The accident occurred on Monday at Gidan Kwanu, near Minna, when a Toyota Hilux conveying the Director-General of the Government House, Mr Dauda Chikuba, collided head-on with a vehicle carrying five students of the university.
According to a report by The PUNCH, four of the five students died on the spot, alongside the driver of the Government House vehicle.
The newspaper reported that the governor’s convoy was returning to Minna, while the vehicle conveying the students was travelling towards Bida when the crash occurred.
Eyewitnesses said the governor and his entourage were returning from a condolence visit to the Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, following the death of the Sagi Nupe, Hajia Aisha.
One of the eyewitnesses described the incident as a head-on collision and alleged that the convoy was travelling at high speed when the crash occurred.
“It was a head-on collision. We learnt that the convoy was at high speed when the accident occurred. It was a terrible accident,” the eyewitness was quoted as saying.
The eyewitness added that Chikuba was immediately rushed to a hospital for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased students and the driver were evacuated to an undisclosed destination.
The spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident, saying the police had commenced an investigation.
“The accident occurred this morning, and we are investigating it,” Abiodun was quoted as saying by The PUNCH on Wednesday.
…As SEDC seals deal with GasSync, commits $3m
• Tinubu says S’East must rise from potential to reality
• Mbah, governors hail Tinubu, pledge support for 400km pipeline
The Federal Government, through the South East Development Commission (SEDC) has kicked off a $100 million gas distribution pipeline project to boost industrialisation, attract investments and create jobs in the South East.
The 400-kilometre pipeline, designed to connect gas resources to industrial and commercial centres across Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi states, has about 150 potential customers identified, with projected demand of 254 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
The investment agreement for the project was signed on Tuesday at the South-East Gas Infrastructure Investment and Project Development Ceremony held at Hotel Presidential, Enugu, marking a significant step towards establishing a regional gas distribution network.
Tinubu, represented by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, described the project as a strategic investment that would connect the region’s natural gas resources to industries, strengthen manufacturing and unlock economic opportunities across the five states.
“The Southeast’s entrepreneurial spirit is one of Nigeria’s greatest economic assets. I have always believed that the prosperity of the Southeast is inseparable from the prosperity of Nigeria,” the President said.
He said the project aligned with his administration’s commitment to building an integrated regional economy, stressing that gas infrastructure should support industrial development across state boundaries rather than serve isolated markets.
“Gas infrastructure must therefore serve industries and markets, not stop at political boundaries. That is the economic logic of regional integration,” he said.
The President said the pipeline would benefit manufacturers in Aba, strengthen industrial clusters in Nnewi and Onitsha, attract productive enterprises to Enugu, expand agro-processing and manufacturing in Ebonyi and connect Imo’s gas resources to the wider regional economy.
He, however, said the ambition extended beyond supplying existing factories to creating the conditions for new industries, industrial parks and investments that had stalled because of unreliable energy supply.
“Our ambition is not simply to deliver gas to existing factories. It is to make possible factories that do not yet exist, industrial parks yet to be developed, and investments that have remained on the drawing board because reliable energy was unavailable,” Tinubu said.
He described the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) as an institution established to deliver measurable development outcomes, urging it to assess its performance by the investments it mobilised, infrastructure it enabled, opportunities it created and lives it improved.
The President said the South-East Vision 2050 development framework, supported by Vice-President Kashim Shettima and the governors of the region, provided a foundation for coordinated economic growth.
He also cited his approval of the South-East Investment Company as part of efforts to attract private capital into strategic development projects, noting that governments could not finance every development ambition from public funds.
“This is the model I expect from our development institutions: identify strategic economic opportunities, prepare credible projects, commit public resources responsibly and mobilise private capital at a scale government budgets alone cannot achieve,” he said.
Tinubu commended the SEDC for committing $3 million to the gas project and establishing a framework to mobilise additional investments from state governments, institutions and private investors.
He said the project’s initial phase required approximately $100 million, describing the partnership between public institutions and private investors as essential to developing sustainable infrastructure.
“We are not investing in pipelines for their own sake. We are investing in the industries, businesses and jobs those pipelines will make possible,” the President said.
He urged the commission and its partners to uphold commercial discipline, transparency, environmental responsibility, community engagement and the highest safety standards throughout the project’s implementation.
“The true measure of government’s commitment is not what we promise, but what we deliver,” he said, expressing optimism that the investment would help create an industrial economy capable of competing in African and global markets.
Tinubu said the ultimate objective was to translate the region’s natural resources into productive economic activity, employment and improved living standards.
“Let the gas beneath our soil power our industries. Let that energy become production. Let production become employment. Let employment become prosperity for our people,” he said.
The President urged the SEDC, state governments and project partners to establish clear implementation timelines, measurable milestones and regular progress reports, stressing that the project’s success would ultimately be measured by its ability to attract investments, revive industries, create jobs and improve the economic fortunes of people across the five Southeast states.
Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, commended Tinubu for establishing the SEDC, describing the commission as the institutional vehicle needed to realise the Southeast’s longstanding industrialisation aspirations.
“Tinubu loves the Igbo. The SEDC is a commission whose time has come. It was an idea conceived many decades ago, but it took President Tinubu to establish this long-awaited dream of industrialisation of the Southeast,” Mbah said.
He described the signing of the investment agreement as the commencement of the investment process, adding that the initiative would help realise the region’s aspiration for a common market and coordinated industrial development.
“What we have just signed here today is an investment agreement, meaning that investment has commenced,” he said.
Mbah, who said he was excited that the project was advancing less than 13 months after he publicly advocated the idea, praised the commission for adopting an innovative financing model that brings governments and private investors together.
He said the project would create opportunities for young people to build their futures in the Southeast rather than migrate to other parts of the country in search of jobs.
“Before now, it was our young people running out of the region in search of greener pastures. But with what we have now, our young people can sit back and find their future here in the region. This is all thanks to President Tinubu,” he said.
The governor assured the SEDC and its partners that the Southeast governors were committed to the pipeline project, promising to expedite right-of-way arrangements and environmental impact assessment approvals.
“We, the Southeast governors, are committed to this. We will ensure that the right of way and EIA are given accelerated approval,” he said.
Imo State Deputy Governor Lady Chinyere Ekomaru, who represented Governor Hope Uzodimma, commended Tinubu and the SEDC for initiating the project, noting that Imo’s substantial natural gas resources placed the state in a strategic position to benefit.
She said the project was coming at an opportune time, particularly as companies were seeking to become offtakers of gas from the Assa North–Ohaji South development.
Ekomaru urged residents to consider the Federal Government’s infrastructure investments in the Southeast in making their political choices ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“A vote for APC is a direct vote for the continuation of this project. A bird in hand is worth more than 10 in the bush. Let’s reason wisely,” she said.
Anambra State Deputy Governor Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, representing Governor Chukwuma Soludo, commended the commission but stressed that its success would ultimately be determined by its impact on the people.
“We will clap for you when we begin to feel the impact of what you are doing,” he said.
Ibezim noted that states across the region had gas resources that could support industrial growth if properly developed. He urged communities along the pipeline route to embrace the project and cooperate with its promoters.
“I want to urge the communities through which the pipelines will pass to have a buy-in. We are strongly behind the commission,” he said, while commending the enthusiasm shown by industrialists at the event.
Ebonyi State Deputy Governor Mrs Patricia Obila, representing Governor Francis Nwifuru, described energy as fundamental to industrial growth, lamenting that inadequate power supply had contributed to the decline of several enterprises in the region.
“Energy is power. Its importance cannot be overemphasised. With it, factories will produce, the economy will blossom and employment will be great,” she said.
Obila expressed the Ebonyi government’s readiness to support the project, promising to provide the necessary cooperation to facilitate its implementation and help moribund companies resume operations.
“We will give you all the support needed to operate in Ebonyi to ensure that our moribund companies return back to operations,” she said.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Regional Development, Dr Mary Ogbe, said the SEDC was developing initiatives capable of improving living standards across the Southeast.
She assured the governors that the commission would complement their development efforts rather than compete with them, while urging investors to take advantage of the opportunities emerging from the project.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SEDC, Mark Okoye, said the commission had conducted technical, financial and legal due diligence before committing funds to the project, which received approval from its governing board.
Okoye said the commission was targeting aggregate regional investment participation of up to $30 million, including its initial $3 million commitment, as part of efforts to mobilise the private capital required to advance the project.
He said the initiative aligned with the commission’s industrialisation programme and its commitment to developing infrastructure that would benefit the entire region.
Representing GasSync, the project promoter, Callistus Mba said the pipeline would connect gas resources close to the Southeast to industrial users across the five states, reducing dependence on the expensive transportation of compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) by road.
Mba said the proposed network would originate from the Ohaji area of Imo State, run through Owerri and branch towards Aba in Abia State and Onitsha in Anambra State, with extensions to Enugu and Ebonyi.
He said the company planned to begin construction at two points simultaneously to accelerate delivery, following concerns raised by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah that constructing the entire network sequentially from Imo could delay gas supply to other states.
“We are going to start at Ohaji and Onitsha at the same time,” Mba said, explaining that the approach would allow construction towards Enugu and Ebonyi to progress alongside work on the Imo and Anambra sections.
He said the company had identified about 150 prospective customers across the region and was engaging industries to secure demand for the gas, including manufacturing companies, power-generation facilities and agro-processing businesses.
Mba cited Geometric Power in Abia State among the companies with which engagement was already underway. He added that the pipeline would support efforts to revive moribund industries in Enugu and develop agro-processing facilities in Ebonyi.
On the project timeline, he said procurement activities had commenced, funding arrangements were advancing towards financial close, and preparations for engineering, procurement and construction were progressing.
“We intend to start construction in the first quarter of 2027,” Mba said, projecting that the project would be ready for first gas delivery in the second quarter of 2028, subject to the completion of the necessary requirements.
He identified regulatory approvals, right-of-way arrangements, community engagement and coordination among federal and state authorities as critical to meeting the schedule, urging the governors and relevant institutions to facilitate permits and work with host communities along the pipeline route.
News
Mbah Inaugurates Enugu APC Campaign Council, Expresses Confidence in Victory on Strength of Achievements
…Tells party faithful to campaign on performance, be unapologetically APC
…Says opposition shallow, has nothing to offer
…Sen. Nnamani, Nwobodo, Dr. Nnamani, Chime, Ugwuanyi, Prof. Nnaji, Arthur Eze, Madueke, Ogalla, Ezeilo make list
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Tuesday, inaugurated the All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council for Enugu State, expressing strong confidence in a resounding victory for the party in all the 2027 elections.
The Campaign Council, comprising 51 Directorates, is chaired by the Governor of the state, Dr. Peter Mbah, while the Deputy Governor, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai; Deputy National Chairman, APC (South); Dr Ben Nwoye, Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Uchenna Ugwu; Chairman of the party in the state, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike; and the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, are Vice Chairmen.
It is also headlined by an Advisory Council comprising former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani; former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo; former military governor of old Anambra State and Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Allison Madueke (Rtd.); former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji; former Minister of Information and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2023 governorship election in the state, Mr. Frank Nweke Jr.; business mogul, Prince Arthur Eze; Senator Chuka Utazi; and former deputy governors Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, Bishop Ralph Nwoye, Dr. Sunday Onyebuchi, and Chief Okechukwu Itanyi, among other high-profile personalities.
Chief Charlie Mbah is the Director-General, while Dr. Eric Oluedo served as the Secretary-General.
Senator Osita Ngwu, Senator Ikeje Asogwa, and Senator Kelvin Chukwu are Coordinators of the Campaign Council in Enugu West, Enugu North, and Enugu East, respectively.
Speaking at the event, which took place at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, Mbah said his administration had justified the mandate handed to him in 2023, while President Bola Tinubu’s bold reforms had greatly stabilised the macroeconomic indicators while also making funds available for the administration to embark on impactful projects across the state on a large scale.
He, therefore, urged party faithful to campaign hard on the administration’s achievements and be unapologetically APC in doing so, saying the opposition had nothing but propaganda to offer.
The governor said he was gearing up to campaign in each of the 68 Development Centres and also commission at least two projects in each of the 260 political wards in the state.
Mbah recalled that the 2026 Phillips Consulting State Performance Momentum Index ranked Enugu as the fastest-improving state, having recorded a Momentum Score of +1.15, the highest by any of the 33 states assessed.
He noted that, in terms of Ease of Doing Business, the state, under his leadership, had leaped from 36th out of 37 subnationals in 2023 to sixth position nationally in 2025, according to the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) report.
“So, you should be proud of Enugu. You should be unapologetically APC. I am really excited because we are going to go to all the 68 Development Centres. I will personally visit all the Development Centres. I will go to the markets with you.
“The people of Enugu cannot wait to see us. They are so excited. And as I go, I will also take time to go to every ward to commission both the Smart Green School and the Primary Healthcare Centre.
“As I go to every ward and Development Centre, I will commission all projects without exception, the Smart Green Schools and the Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres in all the wards where they are cutting the ribbon. And so, it is indeed my honour and privilege to formally inaugurate this APC Enugu State Campaign Council,” he stated.
Dr Ben Nwoye
Mbah, however, reminded them that all the achievements could not have been possible without the economic reforms and support of the President Bola Tinubu administration, which had, among other things, made more funds available to the states.
“We must also campaign hard for the President because it also took those bold and courageous policies of his to achieve what we accomplished in the last three years. You can have all this vision and conviction, but if you do not back it up with money, you cannot do anything. Therefore, we also need to recognise and acknowledge that,” he stated.
Mbah also listed several major infrastructural interventions by President Tinubu in the South East, and Enugu State in particular, noting that although the region gave him a marginal percentage of its votes in 2023, he had nevertheless shown good faith towards Ndigbo in terms of development projects, strategic appointments, among others.
The Deputy Governor, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai; Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu; Deputy National Chairman (South) of the APC, Dr. Ben Nwoye; Senator Osita Ngwu, who spoke on behalf of all serving and aspiring National Assembly members; Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, SAN; Chairman of the party in the state, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike; Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih; and former Ambassador of Nigeria to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, charged the people to go all out for victory, enumerating the many achievements of the Mbah administration and the benefits of the Tinubu government to Enugu State.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the Campaign Organisation, Chief Charlie Mbah, while thanking the party leaders and faithful for the confidence reposed in him and his team, promised to lead a formidable campaign that would guarantee APC’s victory in the state.
“My commitment is to build an inclusive, organised, result-oriented and issues-based campaign that reaches every senatorial zone, local government area, ward, community, and polling unit across Enugu State,” he reassured.
*Other members of the Council Composition*
Deacon Okey Ogbodo, Dr. Dan Shere, and Hon. S.K.E. Udeh-Okoye are Deputy Campaign DGs for Enugu East Senatorial District, Enugu North Senatorial District, and Enugu West Senatorial District, respectively.
Barr. Steve Oruruo is the Campaign Spokesperson and Director of the Public Communication Committee, with Dr. Austin Okolie as co-spokesperson and Dr. Malachy Agbo as Secretary.
Mazi Uche Anichukwu and Dan Nwomeh, both drawn from the Governor’s media team, head the Directorate of New Media and Strategic Communication and the Directorate of Mainstream Media, respectively. Dr. Collins Ogbu is the Secretary of the former, while Dr. Reuben Onyishi is the Secretary of the latter.
Barr. Victor Udeh leads the Administration Directorate, while Dr. Ben Nwoye and Arc. Uche Nwatu are the Director and Co-Director of the Fundraising Committee, respectively.
Former Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla (Rtd.), chairs the Security Directorate, while former Inspector-General of Police, Ogbono Onovo (Rtd.), is the Secretary.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology is in charge of the Directorate of Government Appointees Coordination (Federal and State), with Prof. Chidiebere Onyia as Secretary, while former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eugene Odoh, heads Inter-Party Affairs.
APC State Woman Leader, Mrs. Esther Edeh, is at the helm of the Women Mobilisation Directorate, with the APC South East Woman Leader, Dr. Oby Ajih, as Co-Director and Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, as Secretary.
Senator Chuka Utazi heads the Directorate of Parliamentary Mobilisation, with former Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, as Secretary, while Senator Ben Collins Ndu is the Director of Contact and Mobilisation, with Barr. Peter Okonkwo as Co-Director and Mrs. Lovelyn Obioma Nweze appointed as Secretary.
Barr. Victor Udeh is the Director of the Directorate of Election Planning and Monitoring, which has the Political Adviser to the Governor, Chief Frank Anioma, as Secretary.
Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke, leads the Directorate of Welfare, which has Barr. Mrs. Amaka Alinta as Secretary, while Dame Rita Mbah is the Director of Event Management, with Ifeoma Azike as Secretary.
Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Charles Egumgbe, leads the Directorate of Monitoring, which has former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, as Secretary.
Engr. Uchenna Nwobodo is in charge of the Directorate of Works and Venue, with Engr. Christian Enebe as Secretary.
Hon. USA Igweshi has returned to his 2023 role as Director of the Directorate of Support Groups, while Dr. Chiedozie Nwafor will serve as Secretary.
Nollywood star Rachael Okonkwo, popularly known as Nkoli Nwa Nsukka, is the Director of the Directorate of Creativity and Entertainment, while the General Manager of the Enugu State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), Monday Diamond, heads the Directorate’s secretariat.
The Town Unions Coordination Directorate is headed by Chief Arinze Ogbodo, while the secretariat will be manned by Hon. Charles Chime.
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