Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25, 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi, has revealed that he couldn’t conduct the local government elections while serving as the governor of Anambra State due to court litigations.
He disclosed this during the LP mega rally held in Benin at the Baptist Convention ground, ahead of the September 2 Local Government Council election in Edo State.
Obi said despite that he didn’t conduct the elections, the money accrued to the local government was still used for the development of the local government areas.
” As a governor, I was prevented by arms of legal and litigations from conducting local government elections for over six years but I can still tell you one thing that, we still use the money belonging to the local government in the local government system and I can say it here and I want all of you to take this, go and look and verify all the money that came to local government in Anambra State whether anyone is missing”, Obi said.
The LP presidential candidate said the importance of the local government cannot be overemphasized because it is closer to the people, therefore, they should participate and ensure that candidates fielded by the party are victorious at the polls.
“Local Government is the nearest to the people. Local Government is supposed to be the root for ensuring development.
“It is the system that is closer to the people and three most critical areas of development are health, it is the local government, through the primary healthcare, number two is education.
“It is still the local government. When you talk about education, you talk about education, you talk about basic education, which is primary and secondary education and it is the local government who will be the one to fund it.
“And as you know today in Nigeria, there is mass poverty and that mass poverty is in the local government.
So, for the system to work, a country that develop well, it is the local government, the sub national which is the state and the central government.
“So the central government will come through the sub national to the local government. So anything development is domiciled in the local government,” Obi said.
Speaking also, the national chairman of the party, Julius Abure, while commending the party for their turn out in the state during the presidential election, said they should replicate same in the forthcoming local government elections so that the party’s candidates will emerge winners in their various local government councils.
While also thanking the state governor, Godwin Obaseki for calling for the local government elections, said the governor should allow the process to be free, fair and credible.
For one of the leading governorship aspirants and former Nigerian Bar Association’s President, Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, urged the candidates not to entertain any fear but go and cast their votes and wait for the outcome of the results.
Earlier, the state chairman of the party, Kelly Ogbaloi, thanked the party’s presidential candidate for coming to Benin to boost the local government candidates morale ahead ahead of the election just as he urged party faithful to ensure that they deliver their party’s candidates in the election.