A coalition of support groups comprising 35,000 members across Nasarawa State, on Saturday declared its support for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.
Alexander Emmanuel, the state Chairman, Labour Party, while speaking with the leaders of various support groups for Peter Obi presidential bid, said the people of the state were convinced that he had the capacity to engender good governance.
The party chairman said the people of the state were tired of misrule of the All Progressives Congress-led government, both at the national and state levels, which was why they decided to support the Labour Party in 2023.
Emmanuel explained that the 35,000 supporters of the party were members of 27 registered support groups across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state.
He revealed that the party, in collaboration with the support groups, would hold a “one-million-man march” on Aug. 6, to sensitise residents of the state to vote for Peter Obi and other candidates of the party in the 2023 general elections.
“As we speak today, Nigeria is in a serious dilemma, we are faced with the problem of existential threats; the nation has plunged into the multifarious problems of insecurity, unemployment, electricity blackout, comatose economy and civic stress poverty.
“These problems are not natural; they are man-made, the past and present managers of our common heritage brought the country to her knees, and brought us to the pitiable state we find ourselves today,” he said.
He said Nigeria needed a leader with the capacity to turn things around for the better, adding that among the presidential candidates of all the political parties, it was only Peter Obi that had the capacity to move the nation forward.
“But Obi cannot do it alone. He needs our collective support to be able to emerge as President in 2023, so I am urging all residents of Nasarawa State to join us in this struggle for a better Nigeria,” he said.
Also speaking on behalf of the coalition, Wilson Kingsley, said they had perfected plans to embark on a door-to-door sensitisation campaign across the 13 local government areas of the state, as soon as campaigns were officially inaugurated.
Kingsley, while appealing to other residents of the state to support Obi’s presidential bid, expressed confidence that the Labour Party would form central government and other candidates of the party would also emerge victorious in the 2023 elections.
In a remark, Ladi Iliya, National Deputy Chairman of the party, urged residents of the state who were yet to get their Permanent Voter Cards, to register before the closing date, July 31, to exercise their franchise in 2023.
“The challenges confronting Nigeria are numerous because we do not have good leaders in office, our universities have been closed for many months now but they are not worried because their children go to other countries to study.
“It is so sad that we have such leaders occupying political offices, but I’m happy that the Independent National Electoral Commission has assured us that our votes will count in 2023,” she said.