DAVID Umahi Nweze Akubaraoha Ebonyi Transformation Agenda, DUNAETA, a non-governmental organisation, has charged the newly elected council chairmen and councillors in Ebonyi State to replicate the good works of Governor Dave Umahi in their respective areas and to see their election as a call to duty and not for personal aggrandisement. The DUNAETA gave the charge in a statement issued on Wednesday, May 3, in Abakaliki, the state capital, and signed by Monica Ada Chidinma Eze, founder and president of the organisation.

The group congratulated Umahi and all Ebonyians “not only for overwhelmingly voting for candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but for also shaming our detractors who thought that we could not organise peaceful and successful council polls.”

“With the PDP candidates sweeping the 13 Council Chairmanship positions and 171 Councillors’ seats, defeating candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and other political parties that participated in the polls, it has once again been proved that Ebonyians have wholeheartedly accepted the revolutionary polices of Umahi’s dynamic leadership and left no one in doubt that PDP is the only political party still functioning in Ebonyi State. We sincerely urge other states’ electoral bodies to emulate the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission on how to organise peaceful and successful Council polls,” DUNAETA said in the statement.

Eze a.k.a Ada Ebonyi congratulated Austin Umahi, the South East PDP national vice chairman, for leading various the PDP groups to mobilise all Ebonyians into voting for the party candidates during the elections. “The efforts of the state chairman of PDP, Barr. Onyekachi Nwa-Ebonyi and the entire PDP leadership that led to this great success cannot be over-emphasised. Comrade Mark Onu, former Chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Council and Leader of the Akubarorah Youths Assembly and Chairman of the STAs & TAs Forum, deserves commendation for his mobilisation skills. The inputs of Engr Fidelis Nwakwor, the Chairman of the Divine Mandate group, cannot be over-emphasised. DUNAETA is encouraged and motivated, convinced that with proper collaboration and cooperation, re-electing Engr. Dave Nweze Umahi come 2019 would not be a difficult task,” the statement said.

Eze, who doubles as the technical adviser, TA, on Media to Umahi, pleaded with Ebonyians not to relent in their support for Umahi’s administration “but should utilise the two day public holidays declared by the State Government and participate actively in the ongoing INEC validation and registration of voters’ exercise so that together we will use our voters’ cards to ensure a resounding success for Umahi’s second term bid.”

—  May 3, 2017 @ 17:30 GMT