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The Labour Party (LP) chairmen from the 36 states of the federal on Thursday said the party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, may not wintomorrow’s presidential election.
The chairmen, who are members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), stated this at a press conference.
Speaking at the press conference, the Labour Party Chairman in Gombe State, Sani Abdulsalam, who doubles as the Coordinating Chairman for the 36 states, said the the former Anambra State governor may lose because of what he called his “undemocratic internal activities”.
Abdulsalam, who spoke on behalf of his colleague, claimed the party’s standard bearer was ill-prepared for the presidential race and listed the failure of the former governor to recognise the role of the party’s leadership in the local chapters as his greatest undoing.
They alleged that instead of working with them, Obi chose to work with cronies and support groups.
According to them, the cash expected to be channeled to polling agents through state chairmen or national officers, have not been released, stressing the fundamental need of the agents for winning elections.
Lamenting the paucity of polling agents for the party among other things, he accused Obi of insensitivity and high handedness.
“I speak on behalf of 36 state chairmen of our party in my capacity as the coordinating chairman. We have never been respected by the party leadership and also our presidential candidate has no respect for our party executives at state levels because Mr. Peter Obi deliberately mismanaged our goodwill with the imposition of his members and other support groups that decamped with him in May 2022 to our party.
“Of note today (Wednesday) the 22nd day of February, 2023, was the meeting we had with the National Chairman, Julius Abure, in the party’s head office where discussion was held about the logistics support for state chapters and national officers towards effective mobilisation of our members for the presidential and national assembly election on Saturday, 25th of February, 2023.
“To our surprise, the National Chairman, Julius Abure, said the presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has no confidence in all the 36 state chapters leadership but would rather choose to work with their cronies and support groups that came with him.
“The greatest shock from the national chairman was that money for agents will not be sent to any state chairman or national officers, except those three NWC members, including a woman and that all state chairmen’s and 19 other members already picked by Mr. Peter Obi himself will be given monies meant for party agents and alert will be received by 10 pm tonight Wednesday, the 22nd day of February, 2023.
“As at tonight, no alert has been received by any state chairmen and information reaching us confirmed that money were paid based on ethnic and religious consideration because only persons of a particular ethnic group currently run the campaign of Mr. Peter Obi with the national chairman, which has polluted the party.
”As members of LP’s National Executive and National Working Committee (NWC), it is our considered opinion and informed conclusion that Obi cannot win this election, since all party executives have been sidelined.
“He is not ready and is grossly ill-prepared for the presidential race,” Abdulsalam said.
At the briefing were Yobe State Labour Party Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammad Bukar and National Vice Chairman, North East, Alhaji Mohammed Alkaji.