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While we wait for the results of the just concluded sham of an election in Enugu State, I would like to say a few words to my young friends and supporters who joined me on this journey to retrace the steps of our dear state.

As much as we tried to foresee and prepare for the eventual acts of violence, manipulation, coercion, vote buying and general malfeasance of the 2023 election, we were grossly disappointed by the institutions of state that we hoped would do better.

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Our people were used, exploited, threatened and manipulated; effectively regarded as political collateral damage.

Yet, I urge you to drop every cloak of despair and discouragement. Instead, I want you to sit back and reflect on what we did achieve through this process. Those will be our springboard.

Firstly, for me, the awakening that many of you experienced remains an inspiration. You stood up for what you believed against pecuniary, partisan, or immediate interests.

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You boldly asked me the tough questions and quizzed some of my answers in a bid to arrive at solutions that were robust and most inclusive.

You ran with the solutions I proposed and spoke boldly to show the world why we needed a new paradigm in Enugu State.

You used your personal resources, sacrificed your time, deployed your talents and became the voices of reason in a complex political clime.

Some of you walked with me as we spoke with our senior citizens suffering lifestyle illnesses that could have been avoided with proper healthcare facilities and due payments of pensions and gratuities.

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You were with me when we met the trader who sat under the sun with her two weeks old baby. You braved the scare of Ugwu Peak and went with me to see your compatriots who have succumbed to drug abuse and violence.

You criss-crossed the windy turns of Bunker, New Jerusalem, Iva Valley and many more. slums in Enugu that serve as home to two-thirds of our population in the capital city.

You travelled with me to Ette, at the outskirts of the state, learned with me in the halls of higher institutions, stood on the football field with promising athletes in our Schools, and spent hours with me on the digital space.

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You became fellow researchers as we analysed the grand theft in the Enugu State budgets and reviewed the responsibilities of local government authorities to our rural communities.

You saw the vision I shared for a cultural and entertainment renaissance in Enugu State, and you reflected that desire in every piece of essay, story, song, poetry, and design that went out to promote our campaign.

You sang with me, in the markets, on the radio, in the villages and in the city, as we charged ndi Enugu to #Kunie! Ka anyi dozie Enugu!

This charge did not end on Saturday, March 18, 2023, when myopic politicians sought to destroy the citizens they claim that they want to serve. For them, it is about the politics of winning at all cost, grabbing power for the sake of perpetuating oppression, serving the desires of godfathers, and the desperation to commit atrocities under the cloak of immunity.

But for you and I, it was about repairing broken breaches and restoring hope in the hearts of our people. It was beyond retiring the old order. We already had a blueprint for the new.

This has not changed. The journey is not over. I have no intention of foregoing the gains we have made to awaken our citizenry to their responsibilities and their rights in our political and governance process.

It is my plan that we will keep building this movement, regardless of the outcome of the next few weeks.

It was never going to be a sprint. We will await the announcement of the decision from INEC and share our next steps afterwards.

For now, protect the hope that has been awakened in your heart. It will grow greater than you can imagine.

God bless you.

For the future of Enugu State,

Frank Nweke Jr.