Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) led a big rally for the party on Monday in Benin City, ahead of the September 2 local government area poll in Edo State.
Obi hailed the local government area system as “where development is domiciled” in his address to the throngs of party members and supporters who had gathered for the event.
“Local government is the closest to the people and is supposed to be at the heart of ensuring people’s development.”
“The three most critical areas of development are health, education, and poverty eradication, all of which fall under the purview of local governments.”
“So, for the system to work, for a country to develop well, it is the local government, because everything related to development is housed in the local government.”
“That is why it is critical to our growth and sustainability.” For more than six years as governor, I was barred from conducting local government elections due to litigation.
“So, we’ve come to support our candidates in the upcoming Edo local government election.” “We will do everything we can to help them,” he stated.
Obi, on the other hand, challenged citizens in the state to vote en masse for party candidates in the election, assuring them that doing so would guarantee their future.
Earlier, Mr Julius Abure, National Chairman of the Labour Party, praised Gov. Godwin Obaseki for putting in place election protocols, but emphasised that the poll must be free and fair.
“We have the best candidates to man the local government system in Nigeria,” Abure stated. “Therefore, the people must vote for all of our candidates in the upcoming local government election.”
Also addressing, Mr Olumide Akpata, a governorship candidate in Edo for the 2024 election, advised voters not to be afraid and to vote for all LP candidates.
According to NAN, Akpata, the immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the candidates are people of impeccable integrity who can deliver on the LP’s programmes.
