By Chibuzo Ihegboro
The Governor of Abia State, Mr. Alex Otti, yesterday, called on the electorate and Labour Party (LP) faithful in the state to vote for the governorship candidate of the party, Olumide Akpata, and be vigilant to ensure their will is not circumvented.
Gov., Otti gave the charge when he visited Benin City, the Edo State capital to galvanize votes for the governorship candidate of the party in Edo.
Otti said the forthcoming governorship election in the state which the party is having its candidate, Olumide Akpata, is a crucial one and they must ensure that their votes are guarded jealously.
Otti said though the party may not have the guns and ammunition to win the election but they have the people to deliver their choice candidate for the people of the state.
His words: “I have come to appeal to you. You are all our people. I told Olumide that there is no need preaching to the converted. We have converted you already and it is now time for us to go and convert others.
This is election, it is an election that will make a difference in Edo State. It is election for the people. We may not have all the guns and the ammunition, but we have you the people.
“So, the charge I want to give you is that, when you vote on that day, remain in your polling booth and don’t go home. That is how we did it in Abia state. So, for 48 and 72 hours, nobody slept.
I used to tell our people – we have one saying. We say rat does not eat something when the owner is awake. “So, you people should not sleep. If it is about the votes, we will have the votes, if it is about winning, we will win. We will not allow any rat to steal our victory.”
On his part, the national secretary of the party’s caretaker committee, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, appealed to the people of the state not to disappoint the party by voting for other candidates except Akpata, if they really want to enjoy the dividends of democracy which the people in Abia State are currently enjoying.
The victory is ours and we must deliver full time on that particular day and what Abia is enjoying today, Edo State will enjoy it too”, Nwokocha said.
Earlier, the Edo State LP governorship candidate, Olumide Akpata, while welcoming the governor of Abia State, Alex Otti to the state, said Otti is in Benin City to help talk to the people of the state to vote for him and his running mate, Kadiri Asamah, SAN, and not to talk the party faithful.
“Jesus Christ said, he didn’t come for the saved but for the lost”, Akpata noted.
