Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in the 36 states yesterday explained why their party’s standard bearer, Mr. Peter Obi, may not triumph in tomorrow’s presidential poll.
The chairmen are members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
They said the one-time Anambra State governor may lose because of what they called his “undemocratic internal activities”.
Besides, they claimed the party’s standard bearer was ill-prepared for the presidential race.
They listed the failure of the former governor to recognise the role of the party leadership in the local chapters as his greatest undoing.
The chairmen alleged that instead of working with them, Obi chose to work with cronies and support groups.
They spoke at a news briefing through the Gombe Chairman, Sani Abdulsalam, who doubles as the Coordinating Chairman for the 36 states.
At the briefing were Yobe State Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammad Bukar and National Vice Chairman (Northeast, Alhaji Mohammed Alkaji.
According to them, the cash expected to be channeled to polling agents through state chairmen or national officers, have not been done, stressing the fundamental need of the agents for winning elections.
Bemoaning paucity of LP’s polling agents, among other things, he accused Mr. Obi of insensitivity and high handedness.
Abdulsalam said: “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 good will with the imposition of his members and other support group 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 group 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,” they said.
