From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
Labour Party (LP) South East Stakeholders have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to arrest the rising security challenges in the region before the February, March general election.
They also called on the national leadership party to urgently speak up and clear the air on the Enugu State governorship candidacy which is currently under litigation.
Rising from one day South East Stakeholders Summit of Labour Party and Support Groups, that took place at Kobb Event Center Enugu, the stakeholders noted the rising insecurity challenges in the entire South East states, which they said were apparently promoted by elements outside the region, and the negative impacts it would have on the voters turnout during the forthcoming general elections and urged the President to act fast.
In their communiqué signed by the party National Vice Chairman South East, Chief Innocent Okeke and Chairman LOC, Chief Chidozie Ezeugwa, they called on Buhari “to use his good offices to direct all security architecture, as was done in the past with the North East in 2015 elections, to arrest the rising security challenges in the South East.”
The stakeholders also resolved among other things, “To call on INEC to put better structures in place to remove the bottlenecks associated with PVC collection and also remove the dateline attached to it’s collection.
“That INEC should as matters of urgency print the PVC of over 10 million registrants across the country so as not to disenfranchise eligible voters who are in the last batch.
“To formally endorse Mr Peter Obi as the official Presidential Candidate of Ndi Igbo, and call on all Nigerians irrespective of their political affiliations to vote him as the next President of Nigeria. This will further enthrone justice, equity and fairness in the political equation of Nigeria.
“To vote all Labour Party candidates in the upcoming general elections and urge all Igbo community leaders and party faithful to work hard in ensuring that every PVC is collected by eligible voters that will vote Peter Obi and LP candidates en mass in the 2023 general elections.”
The summit unanimously resolve to set up elections management taskforce to coordinate all elections in the South East, just as it passed vote of confidence on the National Chairman of LP, Julius Abure and the members of his NWC.
“We decry the incessant killings of Labour Party members and supporters in the country especially the recent murder of Labour Party House of Assembly candidate in Onuimo Local Government Area of Imo state, in the person of Late Mr Christopher Eleghu and the current massacre in Isiuzo Local Government Area of Enugu state,” the summit said.
On the issue of the Enugu state guber candidacy of the party, the party guber candidate for Abia state, Alex Otti called on the party leadership to resolve the issue and end the distraction on the party candidate, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga.
Edeoga had earlier raised the issue and complained bitterly on how it has disturbed and distracted his campaigns, urging the party to speak on it.
