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The Abia Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr Ceekay Igara, says the combination of Mr Peter Obi and Sen. Datti Baba-Ahmed as the party’s Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates is enjoying universal acceptance.

Igara made the remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia, shortly after the party unveiled Baba-Ahmed as Obi’s running mate in Abuja.

He described the pair of Obi and Baba-Ahmed as “a paradigm shift” in the nation’s political history.

According to him, the combination of these two gentlemen is a demonstration of the kind of leadership the party wants to offer to the country.

“This is a vehicle that is already accepted by Nigerians.

“What we just did today is to consummate that trust, because leadership is just about trust.
“The character and personality of Baba-Ahmed shows that the party is coming with something special to Nigeria and Nigerians,” the LP chieftain said.

Igara, who is also the Abia Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, further said that the emergence of the former PDP’s presidential aspirant (Obi) had raised hope and happiness among Nigerians from different political and ethnic lines.

“We have demonstrated that, of a truth, our party appreciates the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.”

“I think what helped them was the number of people they came with and the superior weapons they came with.

“And because nobody anticipated it, the few people could not withstand the number that they came with. I think that’s what happened.”

He, however, assured that investigation into the incident will continue.

The Police Affairs minister said that the President had directed that the Security Council meeting should be held to review the situation of security in the country particularly as it relates to insecurity issues that have happened in the last few weeks.

“We are talking about the Kuje Jail break that arose as a result of the attacks on the Correctional Center by terrorists as well as the banditry attack that took place in Katsina around the same time, as well as the various attacks on Shiroro local government of Niger State.

“Mr. President was deeply concerned about these developments. And he initiated this meeting to enable security agencies, the service chiefs, Inspector General of Police tp brief the council on what actually happened and the way forward.

“We had a very successful meeting and the council has agreed to take proactive measures that will ensure that repeat of what happened this few days would not be witnessed anymore.

“Mr. president is surprised that what happened to Kuje actually took place inspite of all the security arrangement that has been made to ensure that such an incident does not happen.

“We are assuring the nation and Nigerians in general that arrangements have been made to ensure that full investigations are carried out to ensure that a repeat of these incidences will not occur.

“The Service Chiefs have been given very clear directives to ensure that adequate measures are taken not only to investigate what happened, but also to take steps to forestall the reoccurrence of such incidences.

“We call on Nigerians to continue to support the federal government, in its effort to ensure that we fight criminalities to finish and to ensure that this country is brought back to normalcy in a more secure and a more peaceful atmosphere.

“We are moving towards 2023, and government is committed to ensuring that there’s peace, tranquility to ensure a very credible and a peaceful and transparent elections in Osun State come early next week.”

Asked why specific actions have not been taken after 72 hours the incident took place, he said, “The investigations have already commenced. What I said is that Mr. President has given clear directive to service chiefs to ensure that what happened Kuje does not reoccur.”

Further asked whether the President in any way questioned some of the at the meeting, he said, “Even when the President went to Kuje, he raised the surprise there. He was concerned he expressed his surprise as to how it happened.

“And and that is why he quickly convened this meeting. And the details? Mr. President has been briefed and he has assured the nation that he’s on top of the situation. Whatever is supposed to be done is going to be done and is being done to ensure that those of them that are not yet back are brought back to the Correctional Center.

“And like I said, the security agencies are investigating to find out the immediate and remote causes of what happened, how it happened, whether there is any cause for taking punitive measures against who is supposed to be…these things will be determined by the outcome of the investigations, which I believe will very soon.”

He said that because the matter has to do with security, he was not in the position to give out the details of what the government is going to do.

“But we will just assure Nigerians that we’re on top of the situation. And we will be doing it the needful,” he said.