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2027: ADC Condemns Rising Debts In Enugu, Lambasts Governor Mbah For Appointing Party Reps Candidate As Aide
2027: ADC Condemns Rising Debts In Enugu, Lambasts Governor Mbah For Appointing Party Reps Candidate As Aide
NEWS
The Nigerian Record
9/24/20262 min read
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Enugu State has criticised Governor Peter Mbah over the appointment of one of its House of Representatives candidates, Hon. Chinedu Onyeagba, as a political aide.
Onyeagba is the ADC candidate for the Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency in the 2027 general elections.
He was among 101 new aides appointed by Governor Mbah earlier this week, an appointment that has now triggered a reaction from the opposition party in the state.
The appointments were contained in a public service announcement signed by the Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia.
According to Onyia, the appointments comprised seven Special Advisers, six Senior Special Assistants and 88 Special Assistants, all of which took immediate effect.
However, in a statement on Wednesday, the Enugu State Caretaker Secretary of the ADC, Comrade Adolphus Ude, said the party was particularly pleased that Onyeagba had rejected the appointment.
Ude also questioned the timing and financial implications of what he described as a fresh wave of appointments by the Mbah administration.
"Enugu ADC praises Hon. Onyeagba for turning down the appointment," Ude said.
He argued that the appointment came at a politically significant period ahead of the 2027 governorship election, alleging that the governor was attempting to rebuild his political influence ahead of the poll.
"Someone does not ask somebody returning from the market to help him buy something, but the person going to the market.
"Governor Mbah is returning from the market. His reign is coming to an end. He knows that the people of Enugu State no longer want him.
"Who are those going to vote for him in 2027? Is it those that he demolished their properties at Ogige Market Nsukka or Old Park Enugu, Holy Ghost Enugu or Gariki?
"He knows that people in Enugu can no longer bear his policies, particularly his ruthless and inhuman taxation policies.
"Even if he appoints all the Nollywood actors and actresses, and other celebrities in Nigeria as aides, he will still lose re-election."
According to him, the latest appointments could place additional pressure on the state's finances by increasing recurrent expenditure at a time when government should be concentrating on infrastructure and other development projects.
"Enugu ADC condemns the recent appointment of 101 aides by Governor Peter Mbah at the twilight of his current administration. The latest appointments were announced three weeks after the appointment of 23 aides by the Governor.
"It means that in less than one month, the Governor of Enugu State has appointed 124 aides.
"This appointment bazaar going on in Enugu State calls for concern. The appointment of 124 aides with multiple communication and media portfolios and vague advisory roles when the current Peter Mbah administration is winding-up is sheer executive recklessness," he said.
"Beyond political strategy, there is no rationale whatsoever for this quantum of appointments. The Governor is only interested in regaining his dwindling political influence and mobilising grassroots support across sectors for his re-election and nothing more," Ude said.
"Already, under Mbah, the debt of Enugu State surged by over 128 percent, climbing from N82.5 billion he inherited in May 2023 to N188.42 billion by early 2026.
"One could imagine what will happen in the near future when the state borrows to pay the newly appointed aides of the Governor," he said.