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SIGNIFICANCE OF PETER OBI’S ABIA CAMPAIGN TOUR

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Peter Obi in Abia
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 On the February 3, 2023, Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party was in Abia State as part of his nationwide campaign in readiness for the February 25th presidential election. The Abia visit of Obi unlike several others in the country has a lot of political and historical implications for national politics.

Firstly, it has to be acknowledged that Obi has already achieved the unique  feat of being a historical figure in Nigeria because of his transformation of Nigerian national politics from the way it was played  in the past, as an ethnic and regional contest for the control of national resources to its present elevation as the contest of ideas, as an ideological struggle between forces that have held Nigeria down and made it  the poverty capital of the world and the mass of the Nigerian people – workers, peasants, farmers, students,  business people, pensioners, artisans, intelligentsia etc and who want to retrieve the soul of their nation from a thieving elite. It is a struggle intended by the Labour Party to retrieve their country from the iron grip of a vicious and conniving elite that are spread all over the country, North, South, East and West.

The battle is still raging and proving to be a titanic one.Obi and his Deputy, Yusuf Datti Ahmed possessing the moral compass of integrity, capacity, experience, intellectual capacities have been leading the charge rather very well.

However, there has been a noticeable effort on the part of a tiny Igbo elite to obfuscate the fact of  Obi’s general acceptance in Igbo land as in other parts of Nigeria. This tiny elite who belong to the group that the Nobel laurate, Professor Wole Soyinka regarded as the “wasted generation” are amongst the tiny national elite that has benefited and continue to benefit from the rot in the Nigerian system. This corrupt elite has been vociferous in their campaign to keep Nigeria the way it is so that they, their families and cronies will continue to feed fat on the blood and sorrows of the Nigerian masses.

This tiny conniving Igbo elite in alliance with their counterpart in other parts of Nigeria have been working hard to undermine Obi’s campaign efforts. The negative campaign of these agents of backwardness have sometimes tended to cast doubts in the minds of non Igbo populations about the readiness of the Igbo to climb the topmost rung of Nigeria’s political leadership.

The importance of Obi’s Abia visit and the general acceptance accorded him there will be better appreciated when it is realised that Abia is the bastion of Igbo nationalism. Enugu maybe the administrative capital of the Igbo but Abia is its political headquarters. Real Igbo politics flows and is domiciled in Abia.

A check out of Igbo history especially its relationship with national politics will buttress this fact. Abia is the original home of the Aro’s and the ancient warrior communities of old Bende like the Abam, Ohafia, Abiriba, Item, etc who controlled and dominated much of the pre colonial Igbo social and political life.

Even during the subsequent colonial and post-colonial era, Abia as part of Igboland continued to be the base of Igbo Nationalism as is evidenced in the Aba Women’s Riot of 1929, the widespread support that was given to Zik’s NCNC, the use of Umuahia as Biafra’s capital during the Nigerian civil war, the mass support for NPP in the Second Republic etc.

It was in recognition of the fact of being the bastion of Igbo Nationalism that the late Biafra leader Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu before his death made the wish and which was carried out that his corpse should be taken to Abia before interment. It is against this background of being the base of Igbo Nationalism that the rousing reception accorded to Peter Obi and his team during the February 3rd, 2023 Abia visit should be viewed as a wholesome endorsement of his candidature by the generality of the Igbo’s. This is just as well as it should be considered as a genuine support by the masses for the fundamental changes which Mr. Peter Obi and the labour Party are crusading for. Changes that will transform Nigeria from a consumption oriented country to a productive one. These are changes that will ultimately stem the national slide towards anarchy that we have all been witnesses to in recent times.

The Abia rousing reception and endorsement could as well be regarded as a follow up of the earlier endorsements by strategic groups and individuals like that of the former Civilian president, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd), Chief Edwin Clark, the leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Forum, Pa Adebanjo and the Afenifere leadership, the Ohaneze, the Middle Belt Forum, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Gov. Otorm of Benue state,The Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN),The Islamic Clerics,Youth Groups,Students,Artis, Musicians, Athletes etc. Such gale of endorsements is just a pointer to the fact that Mr. Peter Obi’s Candidature has a national appeal and that such appeal is not restricted to any zone or region.

It is against this background that most Nigerian are expectant that his win during the forthcoming February 25th, 2023 presidential polls will usher in a renaissance in all facets of Nigeria which the Nation desperately needs.

 Ike, Fmr Chairman Arochukwu LGA is a member of Alex Otti Campaign Council

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APC Hails Uzodimma, Ododo On Election Victory, Commends INEC

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The All Progressives Congress has congratulated its governorship candidates in Imo and Kogi states, Hope Uzodimma and Usman Ododo, respectively, on their victory at last Saturday’s election.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, revealed this in a statement signed on Monday, November 13.

The statement read, “The All Progressives Congress congratulates His Excellency, Hope Uzodimma, on his re-election as Executive Governor of Imo State, and Usman Ododo on his emergence as Governor of Kogi State.

“The landslide victories of both Governor Uzodinma and Ododo at the just-concluded gubernatorial polls attest to the exceptional performance of the APC-led administrations in both states and resonated loudly with voters.

“We are confident that Governor Uzodimma will consolidate and extend the impressive accomplishments of his first term in Imo State, while Usman Ododo, on his part, will build on the solid record of the outgoing APC-administration in Kogi State.

“We commend the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies for professionally discharging their constitutional duties during the election in both states.

“We salute the Imo and Kogi electorate for their invaluable and massive support of our great party.”

Punch

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Breaking News! IMO DECIDES: Hope Uzodinma Steps Down For Anyanwu, Looses Presidential Support

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Gov. Hope Uzodinma has stepped down for SamDaddy Anyanwu as he could not garner support from Mr. President, Bola President Tinubu.

Ahead of the November 11th governorship election, the All progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Gov. Hope Uzodinma, has stepped down for Sen. Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu, also known as SAMDADDY, as he could not garner a nod and/or any iota of support from Mr. President, Bola Tinubu.

recall that during the presidential primary election of All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2022, Gov. Hope Uzodinma personally purchased the #100m nomination form for Ahmed Lawan, the former Senate President, who got the support of the National Chairman of All progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Abdullahi Adamu.

Our investigation revealed that the embattled Gov. Hope Uzodinma, for over two months now, has been restless trying ferret and/or fetch the attention of Mr. President to help him clutch at his re-election ambition by directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agents to lend him cooperations to rig off the upcoming governorship election but Mr. President insisted while maintaining that he would not interfere in the said Imo election.

Standing on his firm resolve, Mr. President promised that there would be fair play, free and/or unhindered participations in the said upcoming polls in Imo State to all the parties and their candidates without any interference and/or undue favouritism and/or supportations of any kind of from the security agents: military, police, etc as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In fact, it’s gathered, from inside Aso Rock, that Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would not want Gov. Hope Uzodinma to be re-elected to quell and/or douse the burning fires of insecurity in the State.

Political analysts as well as some political high-fliers both in Imo State and in Nigeria, including elsewhere, have interpreted Mr. President’s position as a payback in Gov. Hope Uzodinma’s coin for the socio-political betrayal or sabotage from Gov. Hope Uzodinma against Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,  during the days in “wilderness” at All Progressives Congress’ (APC’) primary in 2022.

On Thursday, the 9th day of November, 2023, after all efforts made by Gov. Hope Uzodinma to obtain Mr. President’s support dashed away or proved abortive, unfortunately, the said embattled Imo State governor, Gov. Hope Uzodinma, has informed his loyalists and his few myopic supporters in the State that his guber aspiration and/or project was unsure and visibly in confusing jeopardy as his sordid plans to use the military, police and Ebube Agu security to rig the said election has been shattered as the Presidency has directed the disbandment of Ebube Agu secret militia and redeployment of Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Barde, whom Gov. Hope Uzodinma had already but heavily sorted with millions of Naira and Dollars.

Inside information indicates that Gov. Hope Uzodinma has been directed by the Presidency to work together with the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP’s)  Candidate, Sen Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu, (SAMDADDY), to save himself from pepertual socio-political condemnation and/or being disgraced by probe.

In compliance with the above, Gov. Hope Uzodinma has directed his loyalists and/or supporters to mobilize and support the candidature of Sen. Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu (SamDaddy) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and vote for him come Saturday, the 11th November, 2023 governorship election in Imo State.

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Afenifere: Fasoranti Differs With Adebanjo On S-Court Verdict

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FORMER Leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, yesterday, disagreed with the leader of the group, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, over the Supreme Court verdict that affirmed President Bola Tinubu’s victory during the February 25, 2023 general election.

Pa Adebanjo and other Afenifere leaders had met in Isanya Ogbo area of Ijebu in Ogun State, and faulted the Supreme Court verdict, which affirmed the victory of President Tinubu.

They said that the judgement has rendered the billions of naira expended on electoral reform, a waste.

But, in a counter-reaction, Pa Fasoranti, in a statement, disowned Adebanjo’s position on the Supreme Court judgement.

Fasoranti said: “The attention of Chief Reuben Fasoranti and other leaders has been drawn to a communique purportedly released in the name of Afenifere by the General Secretary, Chief Sola Ebiseni, where Afenifere is said to fault the Supreme Court judgement upholding Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu’s election as the President of Nigeria.

“This is far from the truth about Afenifere’s leadership position on the matter.

“Let it be on record that Chief Fasoranti and other Afenifere leaders are not privy to such ignominious press release, did not authorise it and do not subscribe to the seditious act such may portend.

“It is merely an unfortunate misadventure of some Labour Party elements within the Afenifere fold who would rather drag the body’s reputation in the mud to achieve whatever sinister and seditious end they might have concocted.

“The world will recall that Chief Fasoranti had congratulated the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces on his election into office, and also expressed solidarity over his victory at the apex court.

“It is then clearly underhanded and mischievous to have such preposterous attack on the judiciary by intemperate elements within the fold, fanning the embers of national discords with political motives, using the name of Afenifere.

“We are unequivocal in reiterating that Pa Ayo Adebanjo is the Acting Leader, who, in the natural and traditional order of Afenifere, is expected to defer to his leader who appointed him, Chief Fasoranti, without reservations.

“To do otherwise is to tread such ignoble path in national discourse as this unfortunate release reveals.

“The meeting recently held in Ogbo Ijebu, at no point raised or decided on the attack on the judiciary as the statements of the General Secretary seemed to portray.

“The leaders of Afenifere would like to challenge Chief Ebiseni to offer the world, the true record of deliberations at the said meeting to confirm its concurrence with the communique he so released to the world.

“The ethos and structure of Afenifere vest the leadership authority in the Leader as the Olori Ebi; until such time that he joins his forebears, notwithstanding whoever he has chosen to act on his behalf.

Vanguard

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