Politics
Legislators Seek Votes From Constituents
The 2019 electioneering campaigns seem to have taken its toll on the Rivers State House of Assembly as legislators beef up activities to sell themselves to their various constituents in the state.
Indeed, this has stalled deliberations in the House for the past three weeks as presidential and guber elections draw close in the next couple of weeks.
Against this backdrop, member representing Ahoada East II and House Committee Chairman Public Finance, Edison Ehie, has in the past few weeks been canvassing for votes towards the re-election of the governor, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Hon. Ehie, who currently heads the state peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council for youth mobilization has at different for a implored youths in the state to vote for Chief Wike’s re-election.
The lawmaker assured that the governor was youth friendly as he had reserved 40 per cent appointment slot for young persons in the state.
Recall that Ehie and his counterpart from Akuku-Tone, Major Jack, has been championing for Chief Wike’s relection through the “I million youths for Wike” campaign.
The group in the past one year had carried out door to door campaign across the 23 Local Government Area of the state, and has amassed great followership especially among young persons within the state.
Last weekend, at a rally held in Port Harcourt City, some legislators from the area, Nemi Adoki and former lawmaker, but now chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Hon. Victor Ihunwo, called on the people to vote for the governor and all candidates of the PDP.
Hon. Adoki praised Wike for transforming the face of Port Harcourt, especially the old Township area with different infrastructural development.
The lawmaker maintained that Wike remained a darling to the people who wanted him to come back and continue his people –oriented projects in the constituency.
Recall that on Friday, the governor visited Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, where the lawmaker, Major Jack canvassed for votes for his re-election.
Jack, who is the Deputy Chief Whip in the House has been one of frontliners of “one million Rivers youths for Wike” campaign.
He and Hon. Ehie have toured the state extensively, canvassing for votes for the governor’s reelection in 2019 elections.
Politics
LP Crisis: Ex-NWC Member Dumps Dumps Abure Faction
Mr Ojukwu, who recently returned to the interim National Working Committee led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, noted that the party had 34 elected members in the House of Representatives, eight Senators, and 80 members at the state Houses of Assembly after the 2023 general elections.
“Now we lost all of them,” he said. “I don’t think we have as many as five members in the National Assembly.”
The former national officer of the LP talked to journalists in Abuja and said he chose to join the caretaker committee led by Senator Nenadi-Usman because they are now the officially recognized leaders of the Party.
“I chose to work with the caretaker committee to help save the Labour Party, for the benefit of the party. I also want to use this chance to ask my colleagues at the national, state, and local government levels to come together and help rebuild our party.
“Another election is around the corner. We lost everything we have. They have left to other political parties. So I’ll reach out to all my friends in the other group to get together and work on making this party stronger again.
“The caretaker committee has formed a reconciliation committee. Let’s come together and talk so that we can restore the first opposition political party in Nigeria.”
Mr Ojukwu, who was part of the Julius Abure’s group, said there are no more factions in the LP.
He added, “There is a court ruling, and since it is valid, the right people are in the correct positions.”
He urged Barr Abure and others to drop the legal cases they have filed because they are not helping the party.
“Litigations are killing political parties”, he said. “They’ve seen many political parties disappear because of legal battles, and the Labor Party is losing support every day, which makes me feel sad.”
Mr Ojukwu said he did not think joining the Senator Nenadi-Usman’s NWC was a betrayal of the Abure group, describing himself as “the oxygen” of that faction.
“I’m with this group because of the verdict. But I never betrayed anybody. Rather, I was betrayed,” he added.
