The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has said that half of the information being passed around on his coalition with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and New Nigeria Peoples Party, Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso, for the expected rerun of the election are rumours.
The former two-term Anambra State Governor said this at a mega rally of the Labour Party in Edo State on Monday.
The rally is coming ahead of the local government election in the state.
Obi told hundreds of party supporters at the rally in Benin, the Edo State capital: “Labour Party will continue to grow.
“We will continue to go stronger, better.
“Half of the things you are hearing everywhere are rumours, don’t listen to them.
“We are committed to building a better and a new Nigeria where we will move Nigeria from consumption to production.”
There have been reports of meetings by Obi, Abubakar and Kwankwaso ahead of the delivery of judgment by the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in the suits filed by the the Labour Party and PDP against the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The PEPC has said it would fix a date for the delivery of judgment in the two cases.
At the rally on Monday, Obi described the local government area system as “where development, particularly of the grassroots is domiciled.
“Local government is the nearest to the people and it is supposed to be the root for ensuring development for the people.
“The three most critical areas of development are health, education and poverty eradication and they are responsibilities of the local government.
“So, for the system to work, for a country to develop well, it is the local government as everything that has to do with development is domiciled in the local government.
“That is why it is critical to our development and sustainability.
“As a governor, I was prevented by litigations from conducting local government election for over six years.
“So, we are here today to support our candidates in the forthcoming local government election in Edo.
“We will support them with everything.”
Obi tasked voters in the state to vote en mass for candidates of the party in the election, assuring them that in doing so, their future would be protected.
Speaking earlier, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, commended Governor Godwin Obaseki for putting modalities in place for the conduct of the election, but warned, however, that it must be free and fair.
“We have the best candidates that can man the local government system in Nigeria, hence the need for the people to vote for all our candidates in the coming local government election,” Abure said.
Also speaking, Olumide Akpata, governorship aspirant of the Labour Party for the 2024 election in Edo State, urged the electorate not to entertain fear, but to go out and vote for all LP candidates in the election.
Akpata, the immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, said the candidates were persons of impeccable character, who could deliver on the programmes of the LP.
