…says INEC must redeem its image

By Gabriel Ewepu, Abuja

WITH less than 48 hours to the March 18 governorship and State Assembly elections with high expectations from Nigerians and observers, the Director, Contact and Mobilization of the Diaspora, Labour Party, Chief Patrick Eholor, Thursday, expressed confidence that the Edo people are set to use their votes for Labour Party to defeat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State as they did during the presidential election on February 25.

Eholor who is also a social crusader said the paradigm shift and political tsunami that the Labour Party has demonstrated during the February 25elections across the country and particularly in Edo State where he hails from has sent a strong signal that elections in the State are no more as usual, and he added that it will continue and sustained.

“While speaking with Vanguard, he said his message to the Edo electorate is to vote out the PDP led by the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, come Saturday March 18.

He said: “It is simple as ABCD, we never had House of Assembly, we have an elected governor who turned a dictator, who was exporting our jobs to other parts of the State, who denied 14 members of House of Assembly and denied 14 constituency as a result of that we the Edo people have resolved to strengthening democracy.

“We might have gotten it wrong because of trust, we are going to get it right now, we are the cradle of civilization, and we have had our democracy.

“We have collectively resolved to set a precedent using Governor Godwin Obaseki as a reference point sending him parking.”

However, the founder of One Love Foundation, OLF, said INEC did not only disappointed Nigerians but the entire comity of nations, but, he (Eholor) said, “A trial will convince me because INEC have shot themselves in the foot, they need to draw the curtain open because there are so much darkness around them and “I also want to reiterate that after this election there must be a punishment for INEC AD-HOC staff, that there should be a minimum of 25 years life imprisonment for those who knowingly conspire with state actors, steal ballot box or manipulating numbers we need tough actions against them.

“We voted because it is our civic responsibility to vote but it is not us that are our problem, it is the naughty professors that are our problem.”

He further stated that, “I expect INEC to do the needful to keep to their promises and I’m sure that the whole world is aware with the American envoy, we became a laughing stock, INEC have to buckle up to ensure that they get it right so we redeem our image back as the giant of Africa.

“Let me use my famous quote again, “if you cannot trust a messenger then you cannot trust their message”, INEC is our messenger and their result is our message.

Meanwhile, he appealed to voters in Edo State and across the country to come out en masse to elect their choice of governorship and State Assembly candidates.

“They should come out and vote for the right candidates, that is Labour Party all the way from top to bottom, and after voting they should guard their vote by staying at their polling units after voting in order to ensure that the presiding officers count their vote. “If your vote doesn’t count they won’t use money to buy votes”.

He added that, “The people are wiser now, election and politics as a whole is no longer the usual game, either they seat up or the masses will vote them out. The new wave of democracy is blowing about in Nigeria.

On the judicial system of the country, the self-styled ‘Observer General of Nigeria’, said, “I still keep hope alive in Nigeria’s judicial system, although lately, the system is nothing to write home about but I still believe in justice just like the new political dispensation happening in Nigeria so also will it gradually come into the judicial system.”