Less than a month to the first election of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, opposition parties in Enugu State, particularly Nsukka labourers and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are nowhere to be found in the campaign field or at the grassroots canvassing for support or votes.
Their initial grandstandings and braggadocio have fizzled out, especially after the official flag-off campaign of Enugu Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ) that attracted a mammoth crowd at Micheal Okpara Square and literally shut down the state to the shock and surprise of the oppositions.
Just like immediately after the PDP primaries, which led to the emergence of these makeshift oppositions, following the sudden defections of losers of the PDP primaries to them, the opposition parties have continued to be obsessed with social media attacks and campaign of calumny against Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Bar. Peter Mbah and other PDP candidates, forgetting that elections are fought for and won at the polling units, not on social media.
As the Enugu PDP flagged off its campaign and has hit the ground running with their massive campaigns at the grassroots, where they are massively enjoying the acceptance, support and following of majority of Enugu people, the opposition parties especially the Nsukka labourers and All Progressives Congress (APC) with their social media wolves and urban guerillas are busy fabricating, propagating and peddling fake and smearing articles, stories and videos on social media against the PDP, its leaders and candidates without any evidence.
Their only campaign, strategy and antics which have continued to fail them, is to always try to discredit the PDP massive campaigns, its activities and candidates on social media with concocted articles, stories and videos hiding under the weak regulatory framework of the social media activities.
It has become crystal clear to Ndi Enugu that the oppositions are not prepared or ready for the elections rather they are obsessed with their usual stock-in-trade which is social media campaign of calumny that will not give them victory in the elections.
Clearly, PDP is the only visible and prepared party for the election in the state with achievable manifesto, issue-based campaigns, dialogical sessions and presence across the length and breadth of the state, especially at the grassroots.
Meanwhile, the adoption and support of Bar. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah's candidacy by 12 opposition parties led by Dr. Sam Adams Ani under the aegis of Coalition Of Registered Political Parties in the state during the PDP official campaign flag-off is another clear evidence that PDP is the dominant, most acceptable and popular party in the state.
Ezea is the Deputy Director, Online Media, Enugu State PDP Campaign Council.