…I’m candidate to beat-Okorie
As the February 3rd senatorial re-run for Ebonyi South Zone approaches, the Labour Party leadership in Ebonyi State has endorsed Hon. Linus Okorie as its authentic candidate.
According to the party, the Ebonyi South constituents and party faithful were all determined to freely cast their votes for the LP come February 3rd, adding the party massively won in the February 25, 2023 National Assembly polls in the Zone, which he claimed was manipulated by the powers that be.
Chairman of the party in the state, Mr Godwin Jioke, stated this after a stakeholders meeting, on Wednesday night.
He said, “We just had stakeholders meeting as it concerns the forthcoming senatorial bye-election in the Ebonyi South Zone. So, what we just want our stakeholders and party members to know is that Hon. Linus Okorie is our authentic candidate in that re-run.
“We are prepared to win this election, because we won same election in February 25, 2023 and those who feel they have power did it the way they did it; and we went to Court and battled it until this re-run was rescheduled by the INEC. So, we are prepared to win because the masses are with us.
“We have reached out to those who in one way or the other might be aggrieved. Remember Hon. Linus Okorie contested the primaries with two other persons. Infact, at some point people felt there was a parallel primaries. But today as we speak, we have reached out to them and they have thrown their support for Okorie and we are all working together. So the essence of today’s meeting was to further cement the togetherness in preparedness.
“So, the party leadership in Ebonyi State has endorsed Linus Okorie and given him our blessings and as we speak, he’s the authentic candidate for this bye-election. Again, I said we won the election previously and we did a lot of work to make that happen. Our structure is still in place and our supporters are still waiting for us. As for time, the work has already been done and I have done much campaigns behind the scenes. And we will do more from today just to alert our people and bring them together for this purpose.
“My advice to INEC is for them to remain free and fair. Why am I saying this? It’s because we won the election previously, but INEC frustrated us. I was the agent of my party in the last election. I have the documents showing we won the election. INEC should endeavour to do the right thing and live up to expectations of the people. The electoral umpire should give Ebonyi South constituents a free and fair election, this time around.
“And so presently, I don’t have any fears with INEC, with the security agents and otters. The authorities are watching. The Ebonyi South constituents are watching; Ebonyi people are watching; and Nigerians are watching. Both INEC and the security agents have the opportunity to redeem their image, and they should not disappoint Nigerians again.”
Addressing journalists after the meeting, the LP candidate, Hon. Okorie, said he was not afraid to stand in the election, adding it was high time the masses re-right the political wrongs in the Zone, to save its unborn generations from undue sufferings.
He said, “I’m excited. I feel relieved and I’m happy that my party is one and its members are working together to achieve this particular purpose. This is the party for Nigerians and the youths. What happened in the past one week was just a play of how it ought to be and it showed that the party is where everybody wants to belong to.
“As a matter of fact, I’m the candidate to beat in this election. I’m not just the major contender, I’m the candidate to beat and I welcome all my opponents including that of the All Progressives Congress, Prof Anthony Ani, who was co-opted and coerced to run. Why did I say so? He hasn’t been a politician and has never participated in any political activity before. He was just coerced to contest, because the forces within his party presented that scenario and he became stuck to it. He’s from my village, my Ward to be precise. And as a matter of fact, I gave him a job in FUTO in 2013. I’m not worried, and I’m quite comfortable he’s from my Ward.
“What’s goads me on to contest? The people. The people. The people; and the urge to serve the people, goads me on. The urge to stand by the people, and the conviction that no one man should be allowed to close the political space against the will and wish of the masses. And if we fold our hands and allow this trend to continue, it’s our children’s children that will suffer the consequences.”
