•Alleges plot by oppositions to disenfranchise voters in Obi’s strongholds
•Party’s candidate will secure, improve Nigeria’s economy if elected, says democratic leadership
•176, 874 agents mobilised for LP, says support group
Sunday Aborisade, Emameh Gabriel and Juliet Akoje in Abuja
The National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, has urged supporters of the party across the country to be more vigilant during the presidential election scheduled for Saturday.
Abure, who made the call yesterday, during a press briefing at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, also alleged sinister moves by opposition political parties to undermine the outcome of the elections in some parts of the country, especially the south-east through sponsored violence.
He however appealed to supporters of the party to take up the responsibility to defend their votes by carefully monitoring the activities of INEC officials, security agencies and even accredited party agents in order to provide check and balances during the elections.
He reminded them that, “all the support that Nigerians have given to,” the party, “either in cash or in kind will actually amount to nothing if they are not translated to votes.”
He added: “I will therefore expect that you will not only go to the polling booths to cast your votes, but have a responsibility to also defend your votes. We appeal to you to vote, be on standby, keep an eye on INEC officials, keep an eye on security agencies, keep an eye even on the accredited party agents so that you can provide check and balances on whatever is being done.
“I am aware that some sponsored persons especially in the south- east are being paid and sponsored by opposition political parties to continue to threaten citizens not to come out to vote, deployed to deliberately reduce our vote.
“You have the responsibility to question any activity that you find will compromise the processes of this election. I am therefore saying that all our supporters all polling unit agents. In other words, you are one of our ambassadors, you are one of those who will help us to stand and defend our votes.
“We therefore want to plead with our supporters that they should come out in their numbers wherever they are and vote. It is a mere threat to stop them from or to instill fear in them, to prevent them from coming out to vote.”
The Labour Party national chairman said though they have been assured by the security agencies that they would be on top of the matter, there was however the need for supporters of the party to be proactive.
“I want to say clearly that all supporters of Labour party and Peter Obi must realise that they are all agents of the party. If you are a supporter of Peter Obi, if you are a supporter of any of the candidates of Labour party, if you are a supporter of the party, you must therefore be an agent for the party on that day of the election.
“Nigerians must rise to the occasion. Our own supporters must rise to the occasion and ensure that their dream of having a new Nigeria, a Nigeria that guarantees security, a Nigeria that has service delivery to its people, a Nigeria that will be free from poverty, from hunger, from unemployment,” he appealed.
Abure also passed a vote of confidence on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, for raising the standard of the electoral system.
He further urged him to maintain the standard going into what he described as the most critical election in the history of the country.
He added: “I must also commend all the international observers that have interfaced with me personally, with our party and with our candidate and have assured us that they will observe the election and do the right thing.”
Meanwhile, a civil society organisation, the Democratic Leadership (DL), yesterday, predicted that the candidate of LP would secure the country and improve the nation’s economy if elected on Saturday.
He noted that Obi had disclosed how he would make Nigeria great again.
Convener of DL, Dr. Ray Onwuelo, disclosed this in a statement yesterday.
“Nigeria has strayed so much from a state of sustainability by the current ruling class inadvertently or deliberately, with the promises of basic facilities, development, and prosperity retrogressed way below naught.
“I urge every one of us to make out time on Saturday morning, February 25, to go to our various polling stations, vote for a candidate of our choice, and safeguard our votes.
“Please make every effort to vote. There is so much hardship in the country and it is left for us to decide through our votes who we want to lead us in the coming years. I do not have to attempt at this stage to convince you who to vote for because I know you will also wish a better Nigeria.”
In a related development, the Peter Obi Support Network (POSN), has said 176, 874 agents have been fully mobilised to man all the polling units across the country for the LP presidential candidate.
POSN disclosed this during a press conference.
It alleged that the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) and the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were already jittery of the imminent defeats awaiting their candidates
The Co – Convener of POSN, Tochukwu Ezeoke, said all indices from polls surveys made so far and realities on ground for a new Nigeria, clearly showed that Obi would win the Saturday presidential election at first ballot.
He said the group was prepared to mobilise Nigerians for the election and alerted them against any attempt to compromise the electoral process.
He said, “Faced with certain electoral defeat, the APC and PDP have resorted to propaganda, political bribery and spreading fake news and unfounded information against the LP to help their demoralised supporters.
“It is now obvious that LP is the party to beat and so their masters have seen the truth and are tactically submitting.
“Failed politicians have failed to read the signs of times, that a new generation of Nigerians hewed in the blood of innocent Nigerians over the years have risen to take back their country and they will not stop until the day a new Nigeria is born; the 2023 elections are just the beginning.”
The Oyo State Coordinator of the group , Olatunde Okelana, said largest percentage of Nigerian youth who constitute 40 per cent of the registered voters were campaigning for Peter Obi for the New Nigeria of their dream .
He said, “The 176, 874 polling units across the country , would be closely monitored by assigned ‘Obidients”.
