SAFE ENDORSES GOV. MBAH FOR SECOND TERM AT ENUGU WEST MEGA RALLY IN AWGU, MAKES CASE FOR AWGU 2031
By Umeh Henry Ikenna
The Save Awgu Forum Enugu, SAFE, today, April 18, 2026, formally endorsed His Excellency, Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, for a second term in office. The endorsement was declared before thousands of party faithful, traditional rulers, youth groups, and stakeholders at the Enugu West Mega Rally held at the Awgu Local Government Secretariat. The event, marked by solidarity songs and cultural displays, turned into a referendum on performance, with SAFE insisting that the Mbah administration has redefined governance in Enugu State and deserves continuity to consolidate its gains.
SAFE anchored its endorsement on verifiable achievements across critical sectors. The Forum stated that Governor Mbah has matched his “Tomorrow is Here” mantra with projects that are visible in all 260 wards of the state. From education to agriculture, infrastructure to security, the administration has shown that leadership is about deliberate planning and relentless execution. SAFE stressed that truncating this trajectory in 2027 would disrupt long-term programs now at mid-point and deny Ndi Enugu the full dividend of reform.
Education was listed as the administration’s signature impact. SAFE hailed the completion and operationalization of 260 Enugu Smart Schools, one in every political ward. The Forum noted that Awgu LGA alone accounts for 11 Smart Schools sited in Agbogugu, Ihe, Mgbowo, Mmaku, Nkwe, Obeagu, Ogbaku, Owelli, Ugbo, Awgu Town, and Amoli. Each facility runs on solar power, has robotics and ICT labs, CCTV coverage, and teachers retrained in 21st-century pedagogy. “Our children in the villages now learn coding and artificial intelligence. That is equity in action,” SAFE declared at the rally.
On agriculture, the Forum applauded what it called a “grassroots agro-industrial revolution” in every ward of Enugu State. Through ward-based farm estates, mechanization hubs, guaranteed off-taker schemes, and timely input distribution, the state has moved from subsistence to enterprise agriculture. In Awgu, SAFE referenced the revived Ogbaku–Mgbidi rice belt, expanded cassava clusters in Ihe and Mmaku, and the new oil palm aggregation center in Owelli Court. Youths, the Forum said, are returning to farming because “under Mbah, agriculture now pays salaries.”
Infrastructure delivery was described as aggressive and statewide, with Awgu as a major beneficiary. SAFE listed the dualization of key sections of the Awgu–Ndeaboh–Mgbowo road, rehabilitation of the Old Awgu–Okigwe federal corridor, internal roads in Awgu Town, Nkwe, and Mgbowo, and the upgrade of Awgu General Hospital to a specialist facility with modern theatres and diagnostics. The reticulation of the Awgu Regional Water Scheme, long abandoned, was also cited as proof that the administration reaches neglected communities and completes projects it starts.
Security formed the sixth pillar of the endorsement. SAFE commended the governor’s well-organized security architecture built on technology, intelligence, and community partnership. The restructuring of the Forest Guard, deployment of real-time surveillance assets, improved welfare for security personnel, and seamless coordination with federal agencies have restored public confidence. “Farmers go to farm, traders travel at dawn, and our mothers return from markets in peace. That peace has a name, and it is strategic leadership,” SAFE told the crowd.
Beyond the four flagships, SAFE acknowledged reforms in land digitization, civil service automation, ease of doing business, IGR growth, and urban renewal. The New Enugu City, the revitalization of Hotel Presidential, and the international wing upgrade at Akanu Ibiam Airport were cited as evidence that Enugu is being repositioned as a destination for capital and talent. For SAFE, these are not campaign promises but ongoing works that require a second term, 2027–2031, to mature and institutionalize.
Having laid out the case for continuity, SAFE transitioned to the question of political justice and balance within Enugu State. The Forum recalled the zoning pattern since 1999: Enugu East produced Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, 1999–2007, from Nkanu West LGA; Enugu West produced Barr. Sullivan Chime, 2007–2015, from Udi LGA; Enugu North produced Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, 2015–2023, from Udenu LGA; and Enugu East again produced Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, 2023–date, from Nkanu East LGA. The deputy governorship has followed a similar rotation among Enugu North, Enugu East, and parts of Enugu West.
Within Enugu West Senatorial Zone — comprising Udi, Ezeagu, Oji River, Aninri, and Awgu LGAs — SAFE observed that Udi has produced Governor Chime, while Ezeagu, Oji River, and Aninri have produced senators, ministers, speakers of the House of Assembly, and other top appointees since 1999. Awgu LGA remains the only bloc in Enugu West, and one of the few in the entire state, that has NEVER produced a governor or even a deputy governor. Despite its population, voting strength, and unwavering loyalty to every administration, Awgu has been excluded from the state’s top two executive seats for 27 years.
By 2031, Governor Mbah will complete eight years for Enugu East, following eight years each for Enugu North and Enugu West in the two preceding cycles. Equity, zoning, and the moral code of Enugu politics demand that power returns to Enugu West in 2031. SAFE therefore demands that the 2031 governorship be micro-zoned to Awgu LGA to correct a 32-year political exclusion. “Awgu has supported every governor since 1999. We have waited. We have earned it. After Governor Mbah rounds off in 2031, Ndi Enugu must support Awgu to produce his replacement. That is how unity is built. That is how fairness lives. Awgu 2031 is a state project,” the Forum declared to thunderous applause at the Awgu Local Government Secretariat.
