John Ogbodo’s Nkanu West APC campaign concluded with a colourful Obuno-Akpugo II grand finale, bringing together 19 villages, political stakeholders and community leaders ahead of the September 26 local-government election.
The Nkanu West APC local-government campaign led by Hon. John Chukwuma Ogbodo ended on Thursday with a colourful grand finale at Obuno-Akpugo II, bringing to a close a grassroots campaign tour that traversed communities ahead of the September 26, 2026 local-government election.
The finale followed the campaign’s final tour of Ndiagu-Akpugo Ward IV and drew a particularly strong cultural and community presence from Obuno-Akpugo II, where all 19 villages that make up the ward turned out. Each village came with either a dance group, a masquerade or both, transforming the gathering into a display of the cultural identity of the communities. The occasion also carried a personal significance for John Ogbodo, who hails from Ọnụọgba, one of the villages in the ward.
Representing Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, at the finale was the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia. His presence brought the administration’s development agenda into the final stage of the local-government campaign, while his address conveyed what he described as the state government’s support for Ogbodo’s leadership in Nkanu West.
“We have only one person to vote for on September 26, and that person is Hon. John Ogbodo.
“I am here today to represent His Excellency, the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, and to demonstrate the strong support of the state government for the performing Mayor of Nkanu West, Hon. John Ogbodo.
“John Ogbodo is one of the most performing mayors in Enugu State, and his efforts and achievements are clearly visible across Nkanu West. The work he has done speaks for itself.
“I have been sent here by the Governor to express our support for John Ogbodo. We proudly endorse him for the September 26 local government council election.
“And let me say this clearly: there is no vacancy in the Lion Building. The year 2027 belongs to Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, and I know that the good people of Nkanu West believe in and support his leadership.
“Thank you, Nkanu West, for your continued support for Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah. Thank you also for receiving me and for standing firmly with Hon. John Ogbodo.
God bless Nkanu West, and God bless Enugu State.”
The development record of the Mbah administration and Ogbodo’s stewardship at the local-government level featured prominently in the remarks of other stakeholders. In their separate interventions, stakeholders from Akpugo II spoke of projects they said had direct impact on communities, while linking their political support to what they described as visible governance and project delivery.
Arch. Uche Nwatu, Special Adviser to the Governor on Project Development and Implementation (PDI), said the governor was doing “marvellously well” in project delivery across the state, citing initiatives including Smart Green Schools and roads. “The governor has shown unprecedented love for the people of Enugu State in his passion for delivery of the various projects,” Nwatu said.
Chijioke Ogbodo, Managing Partner of GMT News Nigeria and a former councillor of the ward, also connected the enthusiasm at the rally with projects associated with the Mbah administration. Describing the governor as a “game changer”, he said: “Governor Peter Mbah has rewritten the trajectory or history of Enugu State. He has completed projects abandoned or moribund for almost two decades.”
While restating the resolve of the people of Akpugo II to vote all APC candidates in the September 26, 2026 local-government election and the January and February general elections, Chijioke Ogbodo pointed to projects and investments that he said had become reference points for the administration. “Take a look at the International Conference Centre Enugu, the Hotel Presidential, NigerGas, 300-bed International Hospital, Enugu Air among others.”
His intervention also moved beyond political mobilisation to specific community demands. He requested that the governor “consider them for more appointments as well as the construction of a bridge across Etavọ Ekeakụ/Amankwo river to shorten the travel distance in the communities in the ward connecting each other.”
The finale also brought together political representatives whose presence reflected the wider APC structure around the Nkanu West campaign. Ifeanyi Nnamani, candidate for Nkanu West Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly, attended the rally, while Senator Kelvin Chizoba Chukwu was represented by his Chief of Staff, Victor Eneh. Rt. Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, MHR, was also represented, with his intervention extending to the provision of an electric transformer to each of the 14 wards in Nkanu West LGA.
Among other stakeholders present were Dr Sam Ogbu-Nwobodo, Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry; Engr. Greg Nnaji, former Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure; Afam Nnaji, Member 1 of the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB); Onyeka Onwe, Director-General of the Ojiefiemeogo Campaign; Iloabuchi Aniagu, Member representing Nkanu West Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly; and Dr Stephanie Amaka Ngene, Chairperson of the STVEB.
Beyond the speeches and political interventions, the finale retained a strong traditional character. HRH Igwe Jacob Nwatu of Obuno performed the traditional Kolanut rites, a significant part of the community’s reception of the gathering, before leading the ward in the presentation of a live animal to the council chairman in appreciation of his leadership and service to the community.
The Obuno-Akpugo II finale therefore served as both the closing point of the campaign journey and a gathering in which political mobilisation, community identity and development concerns converged. For John Ogbodo, whose campaign had taken the APC message through the wards and communities of Nkanu West, the final rally brought the tour back to a community with which he has a direct ancestral connection. It also provided a final public platform for supporters and stakeholders to articulate their views on Ogbodo’s leadership, Governor Mbah’s development agenda and the issues they want addressed in the communities, as the September 26 election approaches.SEO Package
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