…As Eziama, Ibite stakeholders endorse chairman’s second-term bid, rally behind Tinubu, Mbah, other party candidates
The campaign for the September 26, 2026 local government elections in Enugu State assumed a more competitive dimension in Awgu Local Government Area yesterday, as stakeholders from Eziama Ogbaku and Ibite Ogbaku endorsed the second-term bid of the council chairman, Hon. Uchenna Joseph Okolo, and pledged support for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The declarations were made during the third day of the APC campaign tour of Awgu communities, which has taken the party’s candidates and campaign leaders into the grassroots ahead of the council polls.
The Ogbaku engagements brought together community leaders, political stakeholders, women, youths, party members and supporters, providing the APC campaign with an opportunity to make its case directly to voters and community influencers.
The campaign tour, which commenced on September 7, opened in Ogbaku with a prayer led by Sir James Okoye before political stakeholders took turns to address the gathering.
Stakeholders seek continuity
The dominant argument from the speakers was the need for continuity in the administration of the local government.
APC Chairman in Awgu LGA, Hon. Kenechukwu Okolo; Chief Ifeanyi Ude; Hon. Comrade Emeka Nelson Nwogbo, Senior Special Assistant on Youth Mobilisation, Enugu West; Hon. Okey Nathan Udeh, Director-General of the Awgu Local Government Area Campaign Council; and Prince Charles Ezenta, APC candidate for Awgu North State Constituency, were among those who canvassed support for the council chairman.
They commended the administration’s development efforts and urged voters to support Okolo’s bid for another term.
The stakeholders also declared their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah and other APC candidates, while promising to mobilise voters across Ogbaku for the September 26 election.
Their position effectively framed the contest in Ogbaku around continuity, political cohesion and the consolidation of existing programmes.
Okolo asks for renewed mandate
Responding to the endorsements, Okolo appealed to the people to renew his mandate, saying another term would provide his administration with the opportunity to consolidate its development agenda across Awgu.
He pledged to sustain infrastructural and other development initiatives while assuring residents that community-focused programmes would remain central to his administration.
The chairman also praised Governor Mbah for what he described as exceptional leadership and commitment to the development of Enugu State, reaffirming his support for the governor’s administration.
Okolo further appealed for unity and peaceful cooperation among the people, arguing that sustained collaboration between the council and its communities was necessary for meaningful development.
Political alignment deepens in Ibite
The campaign later moved to Ibite Ogbaku, where traditional and community leaders, women, youths and political supporters gathered to receive the APC delegation.
The gathering also attracted prominent political figures, including Prince Charles Ezenta, APC candidate for Awgu North State Constituency; Hon. Anthony Nwankwo, member and candidate for Awgu South State Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly; and former Awgu council chairman, Hon. Stanley Okeke, who hails from Ogbaku Ward.
Okeke expressed support for Okolo and the APC candidates, adding his voice to the endorsements coming from political and community stakeholders in the area.
The presence of serving and former political office holders at the campaign stops reflected the effort by the APC to build a broad coalition of political actors and grassroots interests ahead of the election.
The road to September 26
With the local government election only weeks away, the campaign in Awgu is increasingly becoming a contest not merely of candidates but of political structures, community alliances and grassroots mobilisation.
The Ogbaku meetings offered the APC an opportunity to demonstrate its support base while allowing Okolo to make a direct appeal for a renewed mandate.
For the stakeholders who spoke, the choice was anchored largely on continuity and development.
Whether those endorsements translate into electoral support, however, will ultimately be determined at the ballot.
For now, the political signals from Eziama and Ibite Ogbaku are clear: the APC has secured another important show of support in its campaign for Awgu, while Okolo’s second-term bid has received fresh backing from influential voices within the communities.
As the September 26 polls draw closer, the campaign trail across Awgu is likely to become increasingly intense, with the competing political camps seeking to convert community-level endorsements into votes.
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