•Edeoga my candidate in Enugu –Obi
From Magnus Eze, Enugu, Okey Sampson, Umuahia, Paul Osuyi, Asaba, Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja, Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki, Lukman Olabiyi
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, yesterday, declared that Chijioke Edeoga remains his choice and that of the party for the governorship of Enugu State.
Obi, who spoke on a national television station monitored in Enugu, explained that there was no confusion over the party’s candidate.
His explanation came on the heels of a major member of the OBIdient movement, Aisha Yesufu, declaring support for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state.
But the LP standard bearer said it was not every member of the OBIdient movement that belonged to LP, Yesufu inclusive.
He said different persons including non-partisan people supported, aggregated under the OBIdient and the Big Tent platforms and worked for the Obi-Datti Presidency.
Obi explained that such people reserved the freedom to support any governorship candidate of their choice but stated that LP members would support their party’s candidates.
“I know this thing is coming up because Aisha Yesufu tweeted about her preferred candidate in Enugu. But, Chijioke Edeoga is my candidate and candidate of the party in Enugu State. There are people who are not members of Labour Party that are of the OBIdient movement, these people like Aisha have the right to support any candidate. But Labour Party, our party, has Edeoga as candidate and he is my candidate; he deserves all the support,” Obi explained.
•Indigenes’ group affirms Rhodes-Vivor bonafide Lagosian
Natives of the five divisions that make up Lagos State, under the umbrella of Lagos Indigenes Congress (Igbimo Omo Eko), have affirmed that Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivor is a bonafide son of a reputable Lagos Island family and cannot be wished away because of maternal lineage as there is no individual that does not have both paternal and maternal lineages.
Igbimo Omo Eko, a network of Lagos bonafide indigenes across Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe (IBILE) in a communique issued and signed by Dr. Olusola Bangbowu, at the end of its emergency meeting, described the discussion on the LP candidate’s identity as worrisome.
“The impression trending that one of our gubernatorial candidates Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivor is an Igbo because he has an Igbo mother is a wicked political campaign strategy meant to take political advantage. ‘Gbadebo is a true son of Lagos born into a reputable Lagos Island family. So many of our political leaders today are married from other tribes: Chief Bode George married from Delta, so also is Senator Bola Tinubu married from Delta and that does not change their identity or their children’s identity.
“Gbadebo is like many of our children born and trained abroad. This cannot in any way vitiate their identity. It should be added advantage…We do not believe the lies that somebody wants to be governor of Lagos so as to take Lagos away or snatch its common goods for others. We urge Lagosians not to believe it. We say without mincing words that it is a wicked lie to divide the state and turn us into tribal enemies.
“Our former governors many of whom were not from Lagos didn’t take Lagos away. They only contributed their bits and left them for others. No one is taking Lagos away. We must be careful of those who want to use politics to divide us for their selfish agenda.”
The group stated that issue of Gbadebo’s identity must be nipped in the bud to avert a potent recipe for election violence “that will do our state, indigenes and none indigenes alike no good.”
According to them, the scar of the EndSARS imbroglio is still visible in Lagos even as the state government is grappling with rehabilitation using scarce state resources.
The state cannot afford any such incident under any guise again, it noted.
The group claimed it was for that reason that they were stepping forward to speak against the divisive story being peddled about Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivor.
“We dissociate from it, we say it is wicked and planned to impair the love and harmony with which Lagosians have lived together in the past, just for the gains of a few,” the group held
•APC ‘ll sweep polls in Kano State –Spokesman
APC Gubernatorial Campaign Council in Kano State has assured that the party would sweep the governorship and state House of Assembly election with landslide.
Alhaji Garba Yusuf, its deputy spokesman, told journalists that the credibility of APC governorship flagbearer, Nasiru Yusuf-Gawuna and his running mate, Murtala Garo, outshines other contenders.
“We wished the election was held as scheduled on March 11 so that people can see the outcome but the shift in date has given us much more time to further perfect our winning strategies.
“I am optimistic because of the integrity of our candidates who are sellable enough to the electorate.
“We have already mobilised eligible voters across the 44 local government areas, to adhere strictly to the electoral guidelines during and after the election.
“We also engaged relevant stakeholders as far as election is concerned, and we have seen the green light, we will win by the grace of God,” he said.
According to him, the party is prepared to win the governorship election as it has delivered on its mandate and campaign promises to the people of the State.
•Otti promises Abia traders free hand in election of leaders
Abia State LP candidate, Dr. Alex Otti has promised traders in the state of free hand in the election of their leaders if he becomes the governor of Abia State.
Otti made the promise in Aba, during a meeting with leaders of traders union of the Ngwa Road (Ahia Ohuru) Market in the commercial city.
Presently, government appoints leadership of the various traders unions of markets in the state.
Otti, represented by his running mate, Ikechukwu Emetu, said it was wrong for government to interfere in the election process of the leadership of traders’ unions in the state.
“The government that will be led by Dr. Alex Otti will give traders in the autonomy in the area of electing their leaders. Our Government will have no business in interfering in the election of the leadership of the various traders unions in the state”.
He equally promised to end multiple taxation of traders in the state, stressing that it was wrong to impose multiple levies on traders, some of which are not backed by law.
“We know that traders in Abia State are over-taxed, some of these taxes are not backed by law, but we’ll stop that if we come to power.”
He urged traders to vote for LP in the governorship election as they did for Peter Obi in the presidential election.
Leader of one of the groups in the market, Men of Goodwill, Jack Uhuoma thanked the LP candidate for coming to see the traders.
•Delta: We’re prepared –Pela
Delta State LP governorship candidate, Ken Pela, has expressed confidence that he would win the March 18 contest, noting that the party enjoys the support of the people.
“Chances of Labour Party is very bright in Delta and I am sure that we are all aware that in the last election, the PDP, the ruling party in Delta was beaten for the first time by an opposition party.
“This election circle is different, the power resides with the people. Our chances are very bright because we believe the people are solidly behind us. We will win this election fair and square.
“We did not have any fear going into the last election, we felt with the new electoral Act, BVAS there was no fear and INEC promised us severally, but they did certain things that we did not expect, they acted with impunity, against the law they did not transmit the results as they were supposed to, we will not let that happen again. We are prepared for them this time.”
Clark, who gave the LP candidate his blessings, expressed confidence that whoever emerges as the next governor would be a straight forward person.
“My hope, whoever becomes the governor of Delta State, my home state, should be a straight forward person, competent, respected and good character, not person that will eat our money at the expense of the state,” he stated.
•Ibori entitled to his choice –Okowa
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and vice presidential candidate of the PDP has said he had no issues with the former governor James Ibori’s perceived decision to support the governorship candidate of the APC, Ovie Omo-Agege.
Ibori, power broker and chieftain of the PDP, fell out with the governor in the build up to the primaries in May 2022, ostensibly as a result of the failure to arrive at a consensus candidate for the governorship.
Responding to questions from newsmen in Asaba during an interactive session, Okowa reiterated his commitment to ensure that Sheriff Oborevwori wins this Saturday’s election, noting that the PDP candidate emerged through a very fair and credible democratic process.
The governor had earlier inaugurated the new Press Centre at the Government House which was completed by his administration.
“If Ibori is supporting somebody else, it is his choice, I cannot criticise him or approve of it. Just as many people in the APC are also supporting our candidate, so many of them, it is a matter of choice.
“Even those who have decamped and several others who have not decamped are supporting us.
“That is the beauty of democracy, it is a matter of choice. As for Sheriff, he was the choice of our people and I stand with him all though,” he said.
On the choice of Oborevwori, Okowa insisted that he has no regret for the emergence of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly as the party’s governorship candidate.
•Ebonyi PDP guber candidate mourns slain supporter
Governorship candidate of the PDP in Ebonyi State, Dr. Ifeanyi Odii, yesterday paid a condolence visit to one of his supporters and PDP chieftain, Ozoemena Nkwuda, who was shot dead by gunmen during the February 25th Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Nkwuda, father of three, and cousin to the Director-General of the Campaign Council of the PDP in the state, Chief Igwe Edeze, was murdered by suspected political thugs.
Ngwuda, 42-year-old, hailed from Ndiogbu-Ndieze, Inyimagu, in Izzi Local Government Area of the State.
Odii who was represented by his running mate, Senator Igwe Nwagu, urged the family to be strong and uphold their late father’s principles of peace and love.
He tasked security agencies to fish out the killers within the shortest possible time.
Responding, Senator representing Ebonyi North District, Sam Egwu, called on the deceased’s family to take heart and prayed God to accept his soul.
He expressed confidence that those involved in the killing would be fished out soon.
The PDP campaign Director-General, Igwe Edeze, who led the party’s delegation to Nwkuda’s family, condemned the heinous crime.
Mr Anthony Nkwuda, the deceased’s elder brother, thanked the PDP team for showing respect to his late younger brother.
•‘Anyim, Ogba, others backing APC for Ebonyi guber’
The Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Mr. Francis Nwifuru has claimed that key stakeholders in the state have thrown their weight behind the candidate, ahead the March 18 poll.
It listed these stakeholders who cut across different political parties in the state to include former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Obinna Ogba and former Minister of State for Industry, Chief Lawrence Nwuruku.
Some others are the member representing Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency, Sylvester Ogbaga; his Ezza North/Ishielu Federal Constituency counterpart, Edwin Nwonu; and Labour Party governorship aspirant, Edward Nkwegu.
Director, Media and Publicity of the Divine Mandate Campaign Council who is also the Commissioner for Information in the state, Chief Uchenna Orji, disclosed these in a press conference in Abakaliki.
Orji thanked Ebonyi people for voting the APC candidates massively during the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
He added that the party was confident of victory in this Saturday’s elections, stressing that the support of the major opposition political leaders will further make the APC victory easier.
Orji said history will be kind to the prominent leaders of opposition political parties in the state for upholding the Divine Mandate zoning arrangement for the Governorship seat, which is equitably the turn of Ebonyi North, Izzi in particular.
“We view their deep thoughts to collapse their structure in PDP, Labour Party, APGA, etc in favour of APC’s Governorship candidate, Rt. Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru as not only God’s design for a more united and progressive State, but also an interesting phenomenon that will shape the political landscape in the State. To all who made sacrifices to entrench zoning arrangement in the body politic of the State, you are heroes of this democratic dispensation,” he stated.