…We are repositioning, ready to take over- LP

By Clifford Ndujihe & John Alechenu

ALTHOUGH the September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election is exactly nine months away the Edo polity is charged as if the poll will be held next month.

There is a rat race of sorts for the tickets of the leading parties especially the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; All Progressives Congress, APC; and Labour Party, LP with a horde of aspirants locked in a flurry of activities.

So far, the PDP and APC have scheduled their primaries for February 2024. The LP is yet to do so, a development that some aspirants and stakeholders in Edo are urging the party’s hierarchy to urgently address.

LP gov aspirants

No fewer than 30 aspirants are positioning themselves to get the ticket of the LP.

The aspirants include former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Olumide Akpata; Chief Patrick Eholor; Chief Kenneth Imasuangbon; Ogbemudia Osagie; Pastor Azemhe Aqzena; Dorry Okojie; Sergius Ogun; Osaretin Ighile; Stephen Osemwegie; and Dele Igbinedion

Tasks before LP leadership

With the National Working Committee, NWC of PDP and APC having issued guidelines for the conduct of primary elections, which INEC has fixed for February 2024 to nominate candidates, some stakeholders of LP in Edo State are disturbed that the LP appears to be in slumber.

“What preparations or modalities has the national leadership of LP under the Chairmanship of Mr. Julius Abure put in place so far, to conduct free, fair and credible primaries to pick the party’s standard bearer?” one of the stakeholders asked.

“The reality on ground suggests that LP appears to be aloof with the electioneering activities going on across the length and breadth of the three senatorial districts, 192 wards spread around the 18 Local Government Areas of Edo State.

Truth is, so much apprehension has gripped the various aspirants on the field, members and supporters of the party, “ one of the governorship aspirants told Vanguard.

Some party faithful said they were not comfortable with the leadership style of Abure and accused him of “toying with the electoral fortune of LP as far as the Edo governorship election is concerned.”

The LP chairman was also alleged to have held on to the Edo Central Senatorial ticket of the party in the last election, a move that was said to have cost the party the position

Besides, some of the stakeholders said the LP leadership worked against a party faithful who they claimed won the Orhionmwon/Uhunwode Federal Constituency primary and ticket to someone who contested and lost the primary for the same seat in another party.

Without doing the needful, “as it stands, Labour Party, which emerged as a third force in the last general election in Nigeria, risks suffering an electoral misfortune in the forthcoming Edo gubernatorial election as witnessed recently in the off-circle elections conducted by lNEC in lmo, Bayelsa and Kogi states, respectively,” another governorship aspirant said.

Claiming that Abure, who hails from Edo central, is “at the moment, in Edo State, visiting wards and openly promoting the Esan Agenda,” the aspirant said: “The voices of members of the Obedient Movement and indeed, Labour Party supporters in Edo State are clear and loud. All they are saying is that Abure and his Exco should immediately come up with guidelines and provide a level-playing system to guarantee the conduct of LP governorship primaries like the PDP and APC have done, in line with INEC timetable.”

We are repositioning, ready to take over Edo- LP

Contacted, the Labour Party explained that the recent decision of its Edo chapter to retrain its ward and LGA executives was in line with its overall vision of strengthening the party towards achieving victory in the next year’s governorship poll.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, said this in an interview with Vanguard, in Abuja.

He said despite the antics of enemies of the party, the LP was working tirelessly at the national and state levels to reach the grass roots with the message of a possibility of building a new Nigeria.

Ifoh said: “The first Train-The-Trainers programme was held for Edo South Senatorial district at the Imperial Event Centre, Benin City, Edo State, last week. It had in attendance party leaders from the seven LGAsin Edo South.

“Our National chairman , Barrister Julius Abure who declared open the programme, also expressed optimism that the Labour Party remains the only political party that can rescue the nation and Edo State from bad governance.”

Abure further said, “the intention of the programme is to build the capacity of our local governments and ward executives in terms of what they are expected to do during an election. It is intended to develop and build their capacity for the Edo 2024 governorship election.

“Labour party believes that elections are won and lost at the ward or local governments level depending on the action and inaction of members.

“This also underscores the importance to build capacity of our local government and ward officers being trained in the trainer workshop, they are supposed to replicate the training in their various local government and wards.

“We believe strongly that we are the only party that has the answers to the socio-economic challenges of the state and the nation.

“The high level of infrastructural decay, poverty, hunger and unemployment is unimaginable and it is the Labour Party that has the ideology to change this trajectory and reposition the country for greatness.

“Therefore, Edo is looking up to our party to do the needful by giving them the right candidate that can defend their votes. Our main objective today in Edo is how to win the election with the right candidate that has the capacity to win.”

Speaking further, Ifoh said: “Our national chairman further noted that the same training will also be held in the other senatorial districts as a way of focusing the party for victory come 2024.

“We are aware that our great party is the party to beat not only in Edo but nationwide but we are not leaving anything to chance.

“We will continue to engage with the people at all levels because party stakeholders are aware of the task ahead and we are committed to working together to achieve victory.“

Ifoh assured that the party would issue the date after a meeting.