Victor Ezeja
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi, has warned political parties and their candidates in the Edo State gubernatorial election against engaging in violence or irregularities that could mar the election.
Obi emphasised that electoral contest is not “war” but an opportunity for the people to elect effective leaders that would serve as vehicles to drive meaningful development in a country.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelIn a statement via his X handle, Obi described as “troubling” the comments by some opposition party leaders. He said: “One party admits to having packaged fake leaders in the past,” (apparently referring to former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, of the All Progressives Congress, who handed over to the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki); “while another insists it is a do-or-die affair” (referring to Obaseki, who reportedly said recently that the election will be a “do-or-die affair.”
However, Obi maintained that at Labour Party, they “offer genuine leadership built on competence, capacity and compassion.”
“For us, elections are not war; they are opportunities to present authentic leadership and drive meaningful development,” he added.
Campaigns for the Saturday, 21st September election came to an end on Thursday, 19th September in line with the guidelines provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that it must end 48 hours to the election.
READ ALSO: Oshiomhole, Obaseki Power Struggle Resonates As Edo People Go To The Polls
Earlier, Obi also warned INEC about hitches that could lead to rigging of the governorship election.
Speaking during the grand finale of the Party’s campaign in Benin where he expressed his full support for the Labour Party’s candidate, Olumide Akpata, Obi said: “We don’t want excuses again, we are tired of excuses. Let me use this (opportunity) to warn INEC. They said they would use BVAS and iRev. No glitches, no hitches. We want this election to be free and fair.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
