BY NATIONAL PANE REPORTERS
Engr Chukwuma Nwadugo - Ebonyi AA Gubernatorial candidate.
Engr Chukwuma Nwadugo on Sunday won the governorship ticket of the Action Alliance (AA) in Ebonyi to contest the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state.
Nwadugo was declared the winner of the gubernatorial ticket by the Chairman of the party's electoral committee, Hon Juliet Nwuzor Amaka, following his landslide victory after his only opponent, Dr Chike Nwode who stepped down for him during the primary election at the People's Club in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State Capital.
The electoral committee chairman described the exercise as the freest, fair, transparent and credible.
Also, the State Party Chairman, Godwin Ukwu expressed happiness over the peaceful atmosphere recorded during the exercise, while congratulating the winner.
Recall that Nwadugo was an erstwhile Commissioner for Works and Transportation and a strong Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Ebonyi State.
In his acceptance speech, Nwadugo expressed joy over his victory and for the peaceful nature witnessed during the primary elections of the party in the state.
He said: "The weather has been very clement, the people have been very quiet, peaceful and there was no quarrel or commotion in any place.
"I thank God for the leadership of Action Alliance, our leaders are wonderful in so many things I have seen today. They are showing capacity in leadership. They are showing transparency in leadership. They are showing commitment to leadership. I can see a very beautiful handiwork of both the National, State and local working committees with the delegates.
"On behalf of all the aspirants who have now become candidates of this great party, I want to stand here to make this very speech, they call it acceptance speech.
It's just to tell you that the mandate you have given to us today that we have accepted and we will deliver.
"There have been occasions, where people are nominated, and after nomination, they went for election, but they failed to perform after their emergence as the winners of the exercise.
This case is going to be different because you came out here with all your spirit and mind, to spend, nominate all of us in front of you. We will go out and face the general elections and we will come back together and sing praises and thank God for the victory at the elections because the 2023 polls are going to be in our favour."
He continued: "Action Alliance is a very serious party, some people may be hearing it, for the very first time today, but let me tell you that Action Alliance is in the all the 36 States of federation including the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. We are going to contest the general elections in all the 36 states of this country, and at the same time, we are going to contest the election for the presidency of Nigeria.
"On the 9th of this month, our flag bearer for the office of the President will emerge. I will not announce his name now because he is still an aspirant. On that day, on the national and international televisions, everybody wherever you are will see him.
"If you look at the logo of Action Alliance, you will see a symbol of Eagle. That Eagle is not there for decoration, that Eagle is there because it's the only animal you can't defeat very easily. Nobody has tried to defeat Eagle and succeeded. If you try to fight Eagle on the ground it will just mesmerise you, by taking you up a little bit until when you see that you cannot go up.
"So, the Eagle always take the world up, to the air and if you say you are contesting come to the air. This Eagle is going to fly from Abakaliki to Ebonyi, from Ebonyi to Ikwo, move to Ohaukwu, Izzi, Afikpo, Onicha, Ivo, Ohaozara, Ezza, and the Eagle will not stop till it covers all the 13 local government areas of the Ebonyi State.
"The second name there, 'Alliance' is where I want to speak for a minute. The people that are being nominated today as candidates, there is nothing we can do without alliance. There's nothing I can do without an alliance with everybody seated here, alliance with everybody outside the hall, alliance with everybody in all the local government areas.
"So I'm calling everybody for this kind of alliance because this is the first time that a government whose interest is the masses will be coming on board of the Government House of Ebonyi State. So, I call everybody that we have a lot of work to do and please, do not say I'm not contesting and you cannot work, No! Everybody here must ensure Action Alliance wins in your polling booth, ward, and local government and when you do this, our taking over the government house is not in doubt."
Nwadugo equally assured of the excellent service for the Ebonyi people if emerged as the state governor in 2023.
"In Ebonyi State, there is no part not good for agriculture and yet we are not doing what we supposed to do with our land. I'm standing here to say without taking much of your time, that if I have your mandate, I believe that I will make an impact, a change and produce an action that will make you know that this is how the government is supposed to be run.
"When I was commissioner for works and transport, everybody knows what I stood for, my doors were open, from the day I resumed office till the day I left the office. There was no discrimination, between the poor and the rich, no discrimination between the children and adults, that same kind of attitude, and leadership is what I'm sure that I will introduce when I become the governor of this state.
"I'm assuring you that I am not the type that will say my own and do my own. I will always make sure there is space for all manners of suggestions, space for everybody to partake in the governance of the state. I will be able to tell you that from the day I enter in as the commissioner for works I knew that my days in that office were numbered."
So, I will make sure that I treat everybody well so that when I come out of my seat, I will still be friends with people
