POLITICS HOW OBI, AKPATA, OTHER LABOUR PARTY CHIEFTAINS CAMPAIGNED FOR PARTY'S CANDIDATES IN EDO LG POLL

 

BY LEO EZEKIEL

Labour Party chieftains, party faithful and supporters gathered in Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Monday to rally support for the party’s candidates in the forthcoming local government election in the state. The chieftains, including the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, National Chairman, Julius Abure, the immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata, and others urged Edo electorate to come out en masse on 2 September to vote for the party's chairmanship and councillorship candidates across the state's 18 local government areas. 

Speaking at the Labour Party mega rally which took place at the Baptist Convention Ground in Benin City, Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, emphasized the place of the local government as the fulcrum of the growth of any society. Noting that the local government is where development is domiciled, especially the health and education sectors, he said those in authority must prioritize these areas to drive growth in the grassroots. “As a governor of Anambra State, I was prevented by several legal suits for six years not to conduct election but I ensured that resources meant for local government were spent for the different LGAs, mostly in the areas of education, health and infrastructural development. 

You can go and verify, the records are there,” he said. Obi stressed that there is mass poverty in the country and for the system to work, the right people should occupy positions in the local government in order to bring about significant development in the country. He urged all the candidates to deliver on their promises to their various councils if they emerge victorious. On his part, Akpata thanked Peter Obi for joining the national and state leadership of Labour Party to mobilize voters for the upcoming LGA election in the state. 

He expressed confidence that the electorate are fully prepared and ready to vote for Labour Party across the state come 2 September. “The crowd you are seeing here is not rented; it goes to testify that the people are ready for the local government election,” Akpata said while addressing journalists shortly after the rally. 

“As long as the election will be free and fair, the people will surely cast their votes for our candidates because we took out time to ensure that those flying our tickets in their various local governments are men and women of proven character,” he said. Akpata, a Senior Partner at Lagos-based Templars law firm, also hinted at his governorship aspiration, saying he joined the Labour Party because he is a Nigerian who is interested in the betterment of the country. “The only way you can express whatever it is to contribute to the improvement of the nation is by joining a party.

I have chosen the Labour Party and there is no other option,” he said. He said he was tired of complaining of poor governance “in my bedroom, so I decided to come out and contest under the Labour Party as it is the people’s party”. Speaking earlier, the National Chairman of the party, Abure, urged the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to ensure free, fair and credible local government election.