PRP candidate Ogbodo challenges Mbah's Enugu scorecard ahead of 2027
- Ray Kene Ogbodo, the PRP governorship candidate in Enugu, says rising revenue has not clearly improved residents' lives.
- He wants a citizens' welfare scorecard tracking household income, jobs and poverty.
- The statement follows Governor Peter Mbah's manifesto update at Godfrey Okoye University on Thursday.
The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) governorship candidate in Enugu State, Ray Kene Ogbodo, has pushed back on Governor Peter Mbah's account of his administration's performance, saying the real test is whether ordinary residents are living better.
Ogbodo made the point in a statement to journalists at the weekend, issued through his media aide, Don Victor. He was responding to Mbah's manifesto update delivered at Godfrey Okoye University in Enugu on Thursday, where the governor said his administration had made progress since taking office in May 2023 in restoring the state as a place to live, do business, invest and visit.
The PRP candidate said he does not dispute the infrastructure drive. His concern, he said, is that poverty reduction, job creation, household income and support for small businesses have not been given the same weight.
Revenue versus welfare
Ogbodo pointed to Enugu's internally generated revenue, which he said rose from about ₦26.8 billion in 2022 to ₦406.77 billion in 2025, alongside federal allocations. He asked whether that money had reached families and small businesses.
"Are the people of Enugu becoming more prosperous, or is it mainly the government that is becoming wealthier?" he asked.
He listed the questions he believes a credible scorecard should answer: how many families have left poverty, how many lasting jobs have been created, and how many struggling businesses have received real support.
He argued that roads, schools and health centres matter, but only if people can afford to use them. "A beautiful road means little to a family that cannot afford food," he said, adding that a modern hospital must also offer treatment people can pay for.
Ogbodo called for stronger social protection, more help for farmers and small businesses, youth employment schemes, affordable healthcare and targeted support for vulnerable households. He also urged the Mbah administration to publish a citizens' welfare scorecard showing progress in incomes, employment, poverty and access to services in both cities and rural areas.
He stressed that his criticism was not a rejection of infrastructure, but a call for governance that puts residents' welfare first. A government, he said, should be judged both by what it builds for tomorrow and by how it protects people today.
On his own vision, Ogbodo pledged ethical leadership, transparency, accountability and inclusive development, saying he wants an Enugu where public wealth becomes shared prosperity and opportunity does not depend on political connections.
The Mbah administration has not responded to the statement in the reports reviewed.
What happens next
With the 2027 governorship race taking shape, expect the welfare-versus-infrastructure argument to dominate Enugu politics. For voters, the practical question is whether the state's revenue growth shows up in food, jobs and clinic bills.
