2023: Trouble for Peter Obi as Labour Party Faction Elects New Presidential Candidate
- The crisis rocking the Labour Party has taken a new dimension as the Calistus Uju Okafor-led faction elected its candidate on Wednesday, June 8
- The faction led by Julius Abure had earlier elected former Anambra governor Peter Obi as its presidential candidate
- Chief Digar Ezenwafor, the new presidential candidate elected by the Okafor-led faction has also reacted to his victory
FCT, Abuja - A faction of the Labour Party (LP) led by Calistus Uju Okafor has on Wednesday, June 8, elected Chief Digar Ezenwafor as its presidential candidate in Abuja.
Ezenwafor, who is a former Anambra chairman of the LP, emerged at a national convention of the factional body in Abuja, The Nation reported.
Source: Facebook
Legit.ng recalls that the Julius Abure-led faction of the party had earlier elected a former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, as its presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
2023: I am on a rescue mission, says Ezenwafor
In his acceptance speech, Ezenwafor said he was on a rescue mission to salvage the country from all its socio-economic challenges, Vanguard also reported.
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“I am on a rescue mission to free Nigerian from social, economic and political crises currently bedeviling it," he said.
He said having understudied two former Anambra governors and being the chairman of the party in the state, he had what it takes to lead the country to economic freedom.
Ezenwafor added:
“We are not after experiences in the executive office because those who were there before and had requisite experiences had failed us."
He also said he had a brighter chance of defeating the presidential candidates of other political parties being a young man with energy and vigour.
Okafor, who presided over the convention, said Ezenwafor’s name as well as the lists of other candidates that had emerged so far on party's platform would be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday, June 10.
I have nothing with Peter Obi, says Okafor
Okafor said his faction’s national working committee is ready to open discussions with former governor Peter Obi who had emerged as the candidate of the Julius Abure-led faction of the party.
He added that he had nothing against the person of Obi but maintained the former governor was in the faction of the party whose leadership was allegedly not recognised by the LP’s constitution.
He told delegates the constitution of the party recognises him as the acting national chairman of the LP following the sack of its late chairman, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam.
2023 presidency: Peter Obi has 20 million votes already, Doyin Okupe boasts
Meanwhile, the Peter Obi campaign director, Doyin Okupe on Wednesday, June 1, in Abeokuta said the LP can outclass the APC and the PDP in the forthcoming presidential polls.
Okupe disclosed that the coalition of the NLC, TUC, NURTW and other professional bodies has already secured the Labour Party 20 million voters.
He said:
“We have NLC, TUC, NURTW, Professional bodies, etc, when you add all these together we have about 20million reserved voters that have affiliations directly with labour party, Our strategy: We need to reawaken the Nigerian Workers.”
Source: Legit.ng
