….Promises to fix moribund industries in Nigeria if elected president
From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia
Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, quaked on Thursday, November 10, 2022, as the Governorship Candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the state, Dr Alex Otti, formally flagged off his governorship campaigns for the 2023 general elections.
Party faithful, support groups popularly christened Obedients, men, women and youths, thronged the Ngwa High School venue of the event during which Otti also presented his manifesto, to welcome the Presidential candidate of LP, Mr. Peter Obi, who performed the official flag off of the Alex Otti 2023 Governorship Campaign; accompanied by his wife, Margaret, the Vice Presidential Candidate, Sen. Yusuf Dati Baba-Ahmed and other party leaders.
The national chairman of LP, Julius Abure, led other members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to give support to the party’s governorship flag bearer for Abia.
At the event, Otti and other LP candidates in Abia were presented with the party’s flag by the National Chairman, Comrade Abure, who profusely thanked Abians for turning out en masse to receive the party’s national leaders, noting that it was a sign that Abians were tired of the status quo.
Performing the flag-off ceremony of the Dr. Alex Otti 2023 governorship campaign, Obi promised that Nigeria would experience a new lease of life if Labour Party is given the opportunity to pilot the affairs of the nation.
Obi said he was saddened that all the factories in Aba and other industrial cities like Onitsha, Kano, and Kaduna have collapsed due to the effects of bad economic policies and inept leadership.
He assured his teeming supporters that the moribund factories would be brought back to life by the time Labour Party takes control of affairs and starts rebuilding Nigeria.
“Our commitment is to secure and unite Nigeria. We are energetic and committed to rebuild Nigeria,” he said.
In his remarks, Senator Dati Baba-Ahmed said that the era of deception by the ruling class was gone for good because “our eyes don open and our minds don clear.”
He said that what Nigeria needed now was a leader with “credibility, character and capacity,” adding that Obi embodies all these three characteristics.
The LP Vice Presidential flag bearer urged Abia people to give the party total support to win the 2023 general election, adding that “where I come from, we are all obedient.”
Otti, who is running for the Abia governorship seat for the third consecutive time, told his supporters that he has remained committed to the task of freeing Abia from bad governance.
“This gathering is a declaration of intent to rescue Abia from bad governance that has held it down for decades,” he said, adding that it was time for Abians to tell “the evil cabal that enough is enough.”
He lamented the sorry state of affairs in Abia under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has been in power for over two decades, saying that bad governance has driven the people to despondency.
“If we were dissatisfied in 2015, we should be outraged now (hence) we are saying, enough is enough.”
The LP governorship hopeful presented his manifesto to the public and promised that he would implement it to the letter in order to make life better for the people.
His promised to convert his security vote to “investment fund” from which youths would access funds to set up new businesses if he wins the 2023 Abia governorship race, drew loud ovation from the crowd.
“We will hit the ground running by cleaning up the locust years and clear all the backlog of salaries, pensions and gratuities,” Otti further assured.
Apart from presenting LP candidates in Abia with the party’s flag during the event, Comrade Abure, who was highly elated by the huge turnout, Abure assured that LP would provide leadership qhich would transform the country.
“It (the massive turnout) is a pointer that Abia people are tired of the status quo and are ready for the desired immediate change,” he said, adding “Labour Party would provide the leadership needed for change across the nation.”