Mbah to 17 New LG Chairs: No Honeymoon, Work to Eradicate Poverty

Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, has charged the newly sworn-in chairmen of the 17 local government areas of the state to hit the ground running, stressing that the local government system is not a passive arm of government but an active partner in the state’s development agenda.
Mbah gave the charge on Wednesday following the swearing-in of the newly elected local government chairmen and vice chairmen at the Government House, Enugu.
The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) had on Sunday declared candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winners of the 17 chairmanship and 260 councillorship seats in the council election conducted across the state on Saturday.
The newly sworn-in chairmen are John Ogbodo, Nkanu West; Mike Ogbuekwe, Nkanu East; Ugochukwu Nwanjoku, Aninri; Jude Chinedu Asogwa, Nsukka; Caleb Ani, Enugu South; Ugo Ferdinand Ukwueze, Igboeze South; Brendan Emeka Ani, Isi-Uzo; Ibenaku Onoh, Enugu North; Martin Amadieze, Igbo-Etiti; and Innocent Ezeoha, Udenu.
Others are Chris Onyekachi Simon, Igboeze North; Chijioke Ezeugwu, Uzo Uwani; Hyginus Agu, Udi; Uche Okolo, Awgu; Beloved Dan Anike, Enugu East; Greg Anyaegbudike, Oji River; and Vitals Ndu, Ezeagu.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the governor reminded the chairmen that the promises they made during the electioneering period had now become obligations to the electorate, describing the relationship between elected officials and the people as a social contract.
“In the last few weeks, you went around the communities, meeting our people, soliciting their votes. They have done you that honour of giving you their mandates to serve them and it is now your turn to discharge those commitments.
“So, what you have just done here today is beyond symbolism. It is quite significant because it means that you have just sealed the social contract you have with the people.
“I would, therefore, imagine that you are going to hit the ground running because there is really no honeymoon when we have quite a whole number of tasks ahead of us at this point,” he asserted.
Mbah stressed the strategic importance of the local government system, describing it as the tier of government closest to the people and a critical partner in the state’s