Distinguished leaders and stakeholders of our great party, members of the National and State Working Committees, our revered delegates, committed members of our great party, my ever-loyal supporters, the entire good people of Ebonyi State, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I lack words to express my happiness over the outcome of the just-concluded Ebonyi State PDP gubernatorial primary election where you looked beyond me and my human frailties to hand me the mandate to fly our party’s flag as the gubernatorial candidate in the forthcoming 2023 general elections. As keenly contested as it were, you didn’t choose me because I was better than everyone else, you chose me because you believe in me and the validity of the dreams I have for our dear State. It is a popular opinion that I hail from one of the minority clans in Ebonyi, a clan comparable to Nazareth in the bible whose capability to produce anything good was constantly questioned. But on the 5th of June 2022, our delegates spoke loudly with their votes, therefore, burying the issue of ‘clan’ and embracing Ebonyi as a united and indivisible State. With faith, you have chosen me believing strongly that if the Messiah could come from the small town of Nazareth then something good can also come from the adjudged minority clan. This victory therefore is not mine alone, it is your victory, it is our victory.
It is a victory for the poor market women who struggle daily with fervent prayers said with so much faith and hope that government provides a conducive atmosphere for their businesses to thrive against constant molestation and unnecessary relocations and bloated taxes. It is a victory for that hardworking civil servant who wishes that government rather than chastises or calls him lazy, to see him as a partner in the rebuilding project of our dear state. It is a victory for the child of that poor farmer whose dreams of acquiring a quality education will no more be limited by his father’s economic status. It is the victory of every clan in Ebonyi big or small, North-South or Central as nobody will be judged by the size of his clan but by their merits and competencies. if I emerge, as Governor of Ebonyi State, it will be a victory for democracy and our great party being the truest custodian of Democracy in Nigeria.
For me winning the party’s flag is a great honour but this is only the beginning of a great task ahead. I cannot do this alone; therefore, I call on all of us to come together to play our roles in making this dream a reality. Together we can! At this point, I wish to thank the Almighty God who made this possible, it is very true that ‘what God cannot do does not exist. I thank very immensely the entire National and State working Committees of our party for firmly holding on to justice and the lofty ideology of our great party. To all the party delegates, I am sincerely humbled by your affirmed commitment and unwavering determination to overcome inducements to vote for me as your preferred candidate. By this, you have demonstrated the purest form of courage, dedication and patriotism.
To all the gubernatorial aspirants who contested the election with me, I thank you all for your absolute display of maturity and sportsmanship before, during and after the primary election. Be rest assured that you are the true heroes and that your part in this great story has not come to an end. It is yet to unfold. We must therefore combine our efforts to ensure victory for our great party the PDP during the general elections. To my avid supporters who have remained steadfast, I thank you all for your perseverance and unflinching trust reposed in us all through these stormy periods. Your prayers, incessant calls, text messages and the desire to make Ebonyians happy again have been the bedrock of our strength and motivation. Having received our Party’s Certificate of Return and other necessary documents, I pledge to lead our party to victory come 2023 by the grace of God.
The time to renew our strength has come. I call once again on every hand to be on deck to deliver our great party as we all firmly look to a bright future full of exciting promises for all. Together we shall be known as those who worked to see the dawn of freedom, happiness and the unprecedented development of our people. Together we shall put back our dear state on the trajectory of growth, peace, economic prosperity and democratic freedoms.
Indeed, Ebonyi will SMILE AGAIN.
Signed, Distinguished Senator Obinna J. Ogba
PDP Gubernatorial Candidate Ebonyi State
Ebonyi PDP Guber candidate, Senator Obinna Ogba thanks Delegates, Party Faithfuls, and Ebonyians for standing by him during the Primary election.
