2027: PDP's Nweke Calls for Accessible Leaders in Enugu East

The Peoples Democratic Party senatorial candidate for Enugu East in the 2027 elections, Kingsley Nweke, has promised to take steps to protect votes cast for him and ensure the people's choice wins during the election.

Nweke, from Nkanu West Local Government Area in Enugu State, made this promise on Monday while speaking to journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre in Enugu.

The candidate, who lives in the United States, said he knows the political scene in Enugu well. This knowledge will help him participate effectively in the elections.

Nweke mentioned he has been visiting Enugu at least twice a year since moving to the US and has kept a close eye on what is happening in the state.

He said, "I live in America, fine, but I am from Enugu State, and I’m always in Enugu State at least two times every year since I’ve been living in America. So, I’m not new to the system. I might just be contesting, but I’ve been observing, and for the things I’ve seen going wrong, that’s why I came out."

Regarding vote protection, the PDP candidate said his campaign is making plans to monitor votes from polling units through to the collation process.

"If people decide that they are going to protect their votes, they are going to protect their votes. And when the vote gets to the council or to the collation centre, we will be there by the special grace of God to make sure that the effort of people does not go in vain," he said.

Nweke added, "We are working so hard, and we are putting plans in place that when that time comes, I believe that the will of the people will prevail. At the end of the day, we won’t allow them to rig out the election or the will of the people."

He urged voters to check politicians’ records and their accessibility before choosing who to support.

He said, "You can’t give what you don’t have. You can only give what you have. If you have love, you can give love. If you have peace, you can give peace. For example, somebody who is not accessible cannot be accessible if the person is voted in. Somebody who has not been involved in youth programmes, in community development, cannot do so if the person is voted in."

Nweke pointed out that his past youth empowerment and community programmes show his commitment to the people before the election.

He mentioned peace carnivals and other activities aimed at engaging youths, with over 70 youths employed through his efforts.

The candidate promised that if elected, he would focus on youth empowerment, agriculture, sports, technology, and infrastructure in the senatorial district.

He said, "It’s a lot of things that we can bring in. It’s a lot of engagement in agriculture, youth empowerment, bringing back sports. If you look at everything that is happening now, sports is going down. So, we can bring back sports, machines from other countries for many sports, for football, and AI is trending now, IT, and all that."

Nweke also promised to tackle infrastructure issues, especially roads, while trying to rebuild what he called the people's trust in politics.

He stated, "The youth empowerment will be there, the new infrastructure about the road and all these fake promises that have been made, that will surely be put in place. A lot of things have gone wrong when it comes to Enugu East Senatorial District, but the time is now to get it right."

On his activities within the PDP, Nweke said his ambition goes beyond winning the Enugu East senatorial seat. He is also working to strengthen the party in Enugu State.

He said, "The work and effort I’m putting in is not just to contest for Enugu East Senatorial District. The effort and the work I’m putting in is to make sure that PDP, which is the largest and the strongest party in Africa, regains and stands back again in Enugu State."

Nweke mentioned he has been consulting stakeholders but is focusing on the people of the senatorial district because they will decide the election outcome.

He said, "I’m concentrating more on the people of Enugu East Senatorial District because I need their mandate; I need their approval more than any stakeholder. But we’re still meeting stakeholders. I’ve been seeing them, and I’m still going to see most of them because I can’t see all of them at a time."

He emphasized that youths, mothers, fathers, and other residents are key to his campaign strategy. Nweke urged residents to take part in the electoral process, saying the protection of the people's mandate should be a shared responsibility.