Governor Peter Mbah has appointed 680 officials to Development Centres across Enugu, with opposition figures questioning the timing ahead of 2027

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has made 680 appointments into what he called Development Centres in the State, just four days after a surprise rally by the Deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Chief Chijioke Peter Ugwu.

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The surprise rally by the PDP candidate, which is still causing ripples in the ranks of the APC-led State and local government councils in the state, has triggered a lot of panic reactions, the first of which was the announcement o the construction of three major roads in the vastly neglected Enugu North Senatorial District.

Then there was the appointment of 101 Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants and Special Assistants to the Governor just about two weeks ago, before the appointment of 680 people into what was called Development Centres.

Some indigenes of the state who spoke to the media expressed the fear that the State government is manifesting a growing fear over the growing popularity of the main opposition candidate in the election, Chief Uche Geofrey Nnaji.

They said the people of the state have increasingly been accepting the candidature of Nnaji, saying his modesty and realistic campaign promises appears to be making more sense than the outlandish Utopia which the incumbent is sending to the people.

The appointments, which was termed desperate election rigging appointments by the deputy governorship candidate of the PDP, Chijioke Ugwu is said to be designed to hoodwink the people into voting for the party in spite of serail failure to deliver measurable values for the people.

‘Where has the state government been since almost four years that it came into office,” said Otonjo Agbo, a concerned resident? “Didn’t they know that the State Development Centres needed to be constituted to take development to the grassroots? Why constitute these Centres on the eve of elections? Are they not recruiting election riggers ahead of the 2027 elections?”

Also speaking, the Group Managing Director of Angel Holdings, Chiedozie Attajah criticized the appointment for its timing, insisting the government is desperate owing to the fear of mass rejection by the people.

“Why are they making the appointments now? Is it not obvious that they are gathering those they believe would manipulate the elections for them for them in 2027? What do they want to do with Development Centres in the twilight o their administration. This is a government that refused to undertake any development project in the entire Enugu North Senatorial Zone.

They have done nothing here, so what are they doing with these appointments into Development Centres, if not to gather men and women who would help them in the manipulation of the outcome of the next election, Attajah queried?

Development Centres were first created by former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi during his first term as governor of the state. But the centres were not effective, contributing nothing to the development of the state.

Those appointed to the Development Centres had no powers to generate any revenue, as there wasn’t any law backing their existence.

They were seen as a clever means through which the governor enlarged his vast list of aides, for electoral influence purposes and not for any rural development

Also read: Panic-stricken Enugu APC begins flag-off of already flagged of roads in Nsukka after PDP’s Chijioke Ugwu’s homecoming

They disappeared immediately after the first term of the governor, with all their rented offices abandoned.