By Douglas Princemola
The Labour Party, LP, Imo State Chapter, has vowed to reclaim the mandate it insisted the Imo State voters gave to the party during the November 11th governorship election in the state. The party during its first post election stakeholders’ meeting on Saturday, February 10th, maintained that it would use every legal means to change the outcome of the election, which according to the party was mared with fraud and irregularities. This was as members brainstormed on ways of making the party more formidable.
The event which took place at the Metro Event Center, Onitsha Road, drew in attendance members of the National Working Committee of the party led by the National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, the LP governorship candidate during the November 11th election, Senator Athan Achonu, State Working Committee members, federal and state lawmakers elected under the platform of the party as well as other numerous party leaders and members.
Speaking, Barrister Abure, while expressing gratitude to Ihejiagwa led state excos and members for their commitments towards the party, urged them to always hold on to the values of the party which according to him has the solution to the security and economic challenges facing the country. He charged members to always respect the party’s Constitution and leadership, and to desist from complicating party’s hierarchy with personal campaign structures. He disclosed this while apologizing to some members who felt shortchanged by some party’s activities.
Abure, accompanied by the National Youth Leader, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, stated further: “We will continue to sustain the momentum through programmes like this. We intend to commence reforms throughout the country and to elicit more citizens’ engagements. We believe that democracy is about people’s participations in order to hold leaders accountable. This is the focal point of the Labour Party. It is our intention to strengthen the party at all levels to be able to mobilize and educate our people to know more of the party in order to believe in the philosophy and ideology of the party.”
Earlier in his address, the Imo State Chairman of LP, Barrister Calistus Ihejiagwa, said that fostering peace and unity in the party among renewing the commitments of the stakeholders towards the progress of the party in the state necessitated the meeting. He thanked members for their contributions towards the growth of the party, and assured that his leadership would always ensure equal opportunities for all stakeholders. He informed them of plans to embark on membership revalidation and new registrations in order to make the party more formidable, calling for their support.
Barrister Ihejiagwa, who appreciated the national leadership of the party for gracing the event, boasted that the party would soon take over Imo State by recovering its mandate through the court, as he described LP as the delight and hope of the people to salvage the state. He, however, frowned at anti party activities involving some of its members and assured of disciplinary actions against them to discourage future occurrences. The chairman while soliciting increased funding for the party’s activities, explained that stakeholders are the strength of any party and should be accorded due recognition.
Leading other speakers, Senator Achonu, disclosed that the problems facing Imo State and Nigeria generally could only be solved by the LP taking over government as a party with competent members having the interest of the masses at heart. He dismissed the outcome of the last Imo governorship election as fraudulent and insisted that the party won landslide, hence it would recover its mandate through the court. He solicited support for the party and donated towards strengthening it activities.
On his own, Hon Mathew Nwaogu representing Aboh Mbaise/ Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency, posited that the future of LP as a grassroot and people-oriented party was great, urging the leadership to carry all stakeholders along in moving the party forward. While the Apex Leader of the party in Owerri West, Alhaji Musa Mohamed Munachimso, assured that stakeholders in the state would always do their best to advance the cause of the party, expressing confidence in the party taking over Imo government. Hon. Clinton Amadi of Owerri Municipal State Constituency spoke likewise.
Meanwhile, participants used the event to advocate for internal democracy within the party and for the conduct of ward and local government congresses. Speakers including Hon Goddy Anyanwu and Hon (Mrs) (Okigwe Zone); Chief Paul Osuji (Owerri Zone) and Chief CNC Awobue (Orlu Zone) all spoke in the same vein, stating reasons why the party should work in unity towards achieving its objectives and to avoid sidelining any member in its programmes.
