Enugu APC Kicks Off Campaign for 26 Sept Council Polls, Targets Clean Sweep in Enugu North

Is Enugu, long seen as a PDP fortress, about to turn blue? The APC thinks so — and it’s using the 26 September council polls as a dress rehearsal for 2027.

The All Progressives Congress in Enugu State has officially flagged off its campaign for the September 26 local government elections, and the mood in the camp is confident. Very confident.

As reported by cbinews.tv, the party held simultaneous rallies at the headquarters of Udenu, Igbo Eze North and Igbo Eze South LGAs — three councils in the Enugu North zone where it has been gaining serious traction. And it was quite the turnout — party bigwigs, traditional rulers, market and trade union leaders, women and youth groups all came out to set the tone for mobilisation.

So why the buzz?

It’s all about momentum. APC State Chairman, Dr Martin Chukwunweike, who handed over flags to the party’s chairmanship and councillorship candidates, said the June 20 Enugu North Senatorial District by-election was the game-changer. That poll, won by Senator Ikeje Asogwa, was widely seen as a litmus test — and the first time in years the APC made such a strong showing in the zone.

“I’m glad about the massive support to us by the people of Udenu, Igbo Eze North, and Igbo Eze South. We’re here to thank you for demonstrating that APC is our party during the June 20 by-election,” Chukwunweike told supporters.

In typical campaign fashion, he went further: “Our party has performed to the point that we don’t need to campaign too much... We’re just using this local government election to, once again, test the microphone for the 2027 general elections.”

A bit of context here.

Enugu has been PDP territory since 1999. For over two decades, the party dominated everything from Government House to the 17 local councils. The last council election in 2022 saw PDP sweep all chairmanship seats. But the political map is shifting fast. With Governor Peter Mbah now aligning with the APC and the party’s surprise win in Enugu North in June, the APC is no longer the opposition outsider — it’s pitching itself as the new mainstream.

The September 26 polls are also a bit unusual. Rather than a state-wide exercise, this round focuses on three LGAs in Enugu North — a zone with over 400,000 registered voters and historically high turnout for grassroots elections.

At the rallies, Senator Asogwa urged voters to double down and back Hon. Innocent Ezeoha for Udenu, Hon. Chris Onyekachi Simon for Igbo Eze North, and Hon. Ugo Ferdinand Ukwueze for Igbo Eze South.

Federal lawmakers Hon. Dennis Agbo [Udenu/Igbo Eze North] and Hon. Chidi Obeta [Nsukka/Igbo Eze South] echoed the same line — linking the vote to Governor Mbah’s infrastructure drive and President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda ahead of 2027.

“The taste of the pudding is in the eating,” Agbo said, arguing that voters would show appreciation for Mbah’s projects at the ballot.

For the APC’s South-East Zonal Woman Leader, Dr Oby Aji, the result is already clear: “The electorate has already made up its mind.”

Udenu Council Chairman, Aka Eze Aka, even put a number on it — pledging over 90% of the LGA’s votes for the APC. Energy and Mineral Resources Commissioner Enyinnaya Ogbonna pointed to road projects and electrification schemes in Udenu as proof that “the crowd is not rented, it’s real support”.

And the candidates themselves? Confident. Speaking on behalf of the trio, Ezeoha said: “We have already watered the ground... That’s why you saw this crowd here today. We’re no longer going to find it difficult winning our people’s votes.”

Whether that confidence translates on election day is the big question. Local government polls in Enugu have historically recorded low opposition turnout, but with 2027 looming large, this is more than just a council election — it’s a popularity test for both Mbah’s second-term push and Tinubu’s South-East strategy.

Source: cbinews.tv

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