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Withdrawal drama as Obi clinches Labour Party’s presidential ticket

Erstwhile Anambra State Governor Peter Obi yesterday emerged as the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for the 2023 presidential election.

 

Things were made easy for Obi during the party’s Convention and Presidential Primary in Asaba, Delta State after Prof. Pat Utomi, MrSamsonUchennaandMr Patrick Oluwadare Joseph withdrew from the race and collapsed their structures for him.

 

However, the only female contestant, Mrs Emmanuel- Tella Olubusola, threw her hat in the ring to slug it out  with Obi, who joined LP only a few days after resigning from thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP). But when voting commenced and over 10 states, including Ogun, Lagos, Anambra and Nasarawahad voted, Olubusola climbedthe podium, grabbed the microphone and declared her support for Obi. She said she reconsidered her earlier stance and decided to allow the best to represent the party.

 

Utomi, who said he has been a Group Managing Director (GMD) all his life, said Obi possess the managerial ability to return Nigeria on the right track.

 

He said: “All the citizens of this country, who have been abandoned, used and dumped in politics of political parties that have prided themselves as the saviour of Nigeria but failed woefully, to rally round Peter Obi in the Labour Party to manage Nigeria for peace, progress and economic transformation from 2023.”

 

The ex-governor, who was the PDP’s vice presidential candidate in the 2019 election, polled 96 out of the total97validvotestoscorethe highest votes cast. One vote was voided. In his acceptance speech, Obi urged farmers, teachers and students, lecturers, artisans, workers andpensioners to take over the country from bad leadership.

 

He said his mission is to rescue Nigeria from insecurity, wastage, misappropriation, mismanagement, and lootingof thepublictreasury byblockingallareasof financial leakages through prudent spending and bold ideas of economictransformation. He said: “What you are doing today is a patriotic duty towards seeking the desired political emancipation of our dear country, which stands wounded by many years of cumulative leadership failure.

 

“Painfully, our current dysfunctional system rewards unearned income and conspicuous consumption; allows university lecturers to remain on strike for months; keeps our youths at home; and owes pensioners  who  gave theirpatrioticsweat and their youthful energy to serve this country.

 

“The despicable contrast is that those responsible for the mess – those elected to take care of them – have abandoned the national currency and are living in opulence and like kings, spend dollars to buy delegates as well as houses all over the world. Meanwhile, they owe most workers, lecturers and retirees.

“Yes, our country stands hijacked by forces of retrogression. We are almost zero in all indices of development. As a result, our future, especially those of the youth and generations unborn is in ruins.

 

We have become a laughing stock among other nations, including African countries where we were once revered.” The businessman added: “As I am nominated today, I humbly proclaim that the journey towards the emancipation of the country has begun.

 

“I note with humility that the journey is going to be a collective one that will certainly require the cooperation of critical stakeholders in our country, especially the youth, whose future has been thoroughly degraded.

 

 

“In the battle to re-take Nigeria, the odds are great and seemingly insurmountable, but with our commitment, patriotism and understanding that we are doing, what we are supposed to do for our country, lest she shall die, we shall move on discontent with what is and focused on enthroning what ought to be. In doing this, our battle cry shall remain: get your PVC and become part of this great liberation.”

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