The Labour Party has warned other political parties in the country not to underrate it ahead of the 2023 general election, stating that it already has more than 22 million registered voters who have indicated interest in the party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Comrade Arabambi Abayomi, National Publicity Secretary of the Party, who stated this in Lagos, said Nigerians are yearning for change as the ruling All progressives Congress, APC, has failed to meet the expectations of the people.
“We are not a social media political party. The people that are conducting our rallies across the states are human beings. We are the new phenomenon, the uncommon political party that will move our nation from consumption to production. As I speak now, with the number of support groups that have registered with their Voters cards and telephone numbers, we have 22 million Nigerians with us.
READ ALSO: Fund40MB clarifies relationship with Peter Obi, Labour Party
“And we are expecting more before December. Nigerians are yearning for change; they have gone through a lot and they know the person they want to lead them. You can see that all across Nigeria, the movement is so massive because Peter Obi is the only pan-Nigeria candidate who the people trust. These are Nigerians asking for positive change,” he said.
He urged the APC-led government to get ready to vacate office in 2023, noting that nomination of card-carrying members and former aspirants as Resident Electoral Commissioners will not save the party from defeat.
Abayomi also used the opportunity to present Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour as the authentic governorship candidate of the party in Lagos.
While presenting the certificate of return to the candidate on behalf of the national leadership of the party, he said the controversy that trailed the LP governorship primaries was unnecessary.
Recall that former caretaker chairman of the party in Lagos, Ifagbami Awamaridi, had insisted that he remained the chairman and governorship candidate of the party, having won the primaries earlier conducted and his name published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, Abayomi maintained that Awamaridi was a placeholder and voluntarily resigned as recommended by law, which he said necessitated the conduct of the substitute primary witnessed by INEC. He challenged Awamaridi to go to court if he felt cheated.
Abayomi also inaugurated the newly appointed 24-man caretaker executive committee of the party in the state on behalf of the National Working Committee of the party.