Politics

LG Polls: Why We’re Contesting In 12 LGAs Only – ZLP

Published

5 years ago

April 2, 2021

As the April 17, 2021 date for the conduct of the local government chairmanship and cancillorship elections in Rivers State draws nigh, the contending political parties in the state have revved up activities to sensitise and woo voters in the nooks and crannies of the state. While mega parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have held mega rallies and other elaborate activities to create awareness and draw attention to themselves, minor parties seem to be also carrying out vigorous campaigns without much fanfare.
One of such political parties that appears to quietly working hard to make impact in the forthcoming local polls is the relatively young Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). Recently, the State Chairman of the party, Hon. Ben Chinedu Ogbobula granted an interview to The Tide where he spoke extensively on his party’s preparedness to put up an impressive showing in the impending polls, disclosing that, for strategic reasons, the ZLP is fielding candidates for the election in only 12 of the 23 local government areas.
According to Hon. Ogbobula, the party’s decision to limit its participation is informed by the reality of limited resources available to it, adding that it was the party’s desire to concentrate its efforts and make appreciable impact rather than attempt to go the whole hug and come out with nothing in the end. He named the local government areas the party is floating candidates to include Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Bonny, Emohua, Etche, Tai, Port Harcourt City, Ogu/Bolo, Okrika and Asari – Toru.
“We’re fielding candidates in 12 local government areas and that’s how far we can go. We cannot take all 23 local government areas where we cannot concentrate. That’s why we picked some important local government areas where we can concentrate. We decided to pick 12 where we can concentrate and, God helping us, if we have two or three local government chairmen, that will be ok”, he said.
Hon. Ogbobula expressed confidence in his party’s ability to put up a good showing in the polls, pointing out that with the party’s relatively success story in states like Plateau, Nasarawa and Ondo where it won state constituency seats, including coming third in the 2020 governorship election in Ondo, it -will be a mistake to underestimate it in Rivers State.
“The election we’re talking about is a grassroots election. We will be going from house to house, from person to person, from community to community. We’re not a money bag party but we’ll try our best to ensure that we talk to the people”, he said.
On how ZLP hopes to overcome its inability to muster sufficient funds to drive its campaign activities, especially in a highly monitised political environment like ours, the state party chairman said he was relying on the exposure and sophistication of the electorate in Rivers State to make a voting decision based on their conscience and not what or how much anyone has to offer them. He said the party has already achieved significant milestones in that regard as it has entered into some form of social contract with the people in which the people have agreed to vote the party and its candidates with the promise that it will also faithfully deliver on its campaign pledges.
“We don’t have cash to give to people but we have mouth to speak to them. We have been entering into agreements with the people on what we intend to do for them if we win. We believe that they have conscience and they are intelligent enough to listen to us. We believe that the average Rivers voter is conscientious and considerate enough to us by our words and not judge us by what we are able or not able to give to them at the moment”, he said.
He continued, “We know that at election time, people give bags of rice, wrapper and the like, but this time around, we are telling them to have faith in us. In fact, we have been getting feedback to the effect that we should not bother and that they’re going to collect their money and vote their conscience, and that’s what we believe will happen”.
According to the party chairman, the central message of the ZLP is a commitment to improving the condition of the totality of the average citizen, adding that, as is depicted in the logo of the party, human beings are at the heart of the party’s programmes, polices and activities.
“We are telling Rivers people that we intend to carry out our blueprint which is the totality of the human life, to carry the problems of the people. You can see that in some parts of the state, people are crying of hunger, but in any local government where we win, we must demonstrate our eagerness to deliver people from poverty”, he said.
On whether he was confident that the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) could deliver to his satisfaction, especially against the background of the fact that local government elections are usually a walkover for the ruling party in the state in Nigeria, the ZLP state chairman said he had no reason to doubt the resolve of the chairman of the electoral body, George Omereji, who had vowed to deliver a peaceful, free, fair and credible polls.
The party chairman said, “Well, the RSIEC chairman has told us that it is going to be different from others. He has told us to go and campaign so that we wouldn’t say that PDP has taken all. He gave us his word of assurance that his administration will not do like other administrations. Omereji said ‘go and campaign and see if parties will not win seats’. So, l’m sure and going by the campaigns we are doing already in the various local government areas, we’re sure that people are tired of the PDP. We want to make a change”.
He said even though rumours had started making the rounds that arrangements were being concluded to write election results in Government House, he had chosen to believe the chairman of RSIEC who had dismissed the rumours as unfounded and baseless at a stakeholder’s meeting.
Be that as it may, Hon. Ogbobula said he will not give anything to chance and would be fully engaged in monitoring the conduct of the polls through his agents across the state, adding that he will not hesitate to call for the sack of the chairman of the state electoral umpire if he deviated from the assurance he had given the stakeholders.
“That day, as the state chairman of the party, I will be calling on our members in the various LGAs a to know what is happening and if there’s a change from what we have been told, that means the man has derailed and needs to be sacked”, he warned.
On how he expects the election to proceed, the ZLP state chairman said RSIEC should strictly adhere to the provision of its own guidelines and demonstrate utmost transparently and accountability in the handling of its affairs on the day and not leave any room for doubt or suspicion.
“I have my agents at the polling units. The agents I have as representatives of the party in various units will tell us about what happens at the units. If the original result sheets are not shown to the people as approved by the law, then we know that the election is not credible, then we will shout and tell Rivers people that what has happened is not right. But if the election is done in the right way, then I will have no difficulty accepting defeat if I don’t win”, he emphasized.
Turning attention to RSIEC, he said “On the day of election, election materials should be carried to the various polling units. At the polling units, the result sheets should be shown to the voters. Election materials should get to the polling units on or before 8am. Do the accreditation and start vote simultaneously?
At the end of the voting, our agents should be allowed to sign and monitor the result to the collation centre. RSIEC should know that they’re the umpire and that the conduct of this election will prove whatever they had spoken concerning this election. If their conduct does not match their words, then, we know that they have compromised.”

By: Opaka Dokubo

Politics

Parties’ Deregistration: How Justice Lifu Overruled Appeal Court Justices

Published

2 days ago

June 17, 2026

The Tide

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday brushed aside the order of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which ordered him to stay proceedings in a suit that sought deregistration of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Accord Party and three others.
The Court of Appeal in a unanimous decision of a panel of three Justices had on May 22, 2026 directed the Federal High Court Judge not to proceed with the suit until an appeal pending before them and filed by Accord Party is resolved.
In a Certified True Copy Enrol Order of the Superior Court, Justices Mohammed Danjuma, Adebukola Banjoko and Oyejoju Oyewumi asked the lower Court Judge to stay proceedings until all issues on the appeal filed by the Accord Party were resolved
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State had, through the Accord Party, applied to justice Lifu to join him as a defendant in the deregistration legal battle instituted by a group of former legislators.
The contention of the Osun State governor was that he had a stake in the Accord Party, being the platform he was seeking re-election in the August 15 gubernatorial poll in the state.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu on April 27 ruled against the Osun State governor, rejecting his request to be joined in the suit to defend his own position and interest.
Not satisfied with the Federal High Court decision, the Osun State governor, through his lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), moved to the Court of Appeal in Abuja where he challenged the Justice Lifu decision to refuse to allow him join the suit.
After listening to the argument canvassed, especially that he has interest to protect as Accord Party gubernatorial candidate for Osun State governorship election, the three Justices of the Court of Appeal, unanimously directed Justice Lifu to allow them look into the grievances of the governor.
In specific terms, the Court of Appeal Justices directed Justice Lifu not to proceed further with the matter and fixed October 27 to determine the interlocutory appeal of the appellant.
However, when the certified enroll order and notice of appeal were served on Justice Peter Lifu by Mr Adetunbi (SAN), the judge rejected it on the ground that it was a ploy to arrest his judgment in the matter.
Although the judge had adjourned his judgment delivery in the matter indefinitely, he finally made a dramatic turn around on Monday and proceeded to deliver the judgment that has now proscribed the five political parties.

Politics

ADC: Okonkwo Rejects Amaechi As Presidential Running Mate, Withdraws Support

Published

2 days ago

June 17, 2026

The Tide

Actor turned politician, Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, has rejected the choice of former Rivers State Governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, as the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement on Monday, Mallam Bolaji Abdulllahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, announced the party’s choice of Mr Amaechi.
However in a statement, Mr Okonkwo said that the choice of Mr Amaechi from the South South strengthens the continued marginalization of people from the South East.
According to the former spokesperson of the Labour Party, any arrangement that would not factor a person from the South East either as president or vice president in the party is anti-Igbo.
He contended that Chief Raph Nwosu, who founded the ADC in 2005 and willingly surrendered it’s leadership to Senator David Mark did not do so to entrench Igbo marginalization in the party.
The former actor said: “I heard from the social media that ADC has picked its vice presidential candidate from the South-South. If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East.
“This geo-political zone has neither produced a president or vice president since 1999. To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce the president or vice president in the ADC in 2027, will amount to perpetuating the marginalisation.
“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people.
“I did not join the coalition to assist in marginalisation of my own people further. I am of the opinion that if we made a sacrifice to give up the national chairman and the president, it will amount to unpardonable injustice to deny us the vice president in 2027.
“I joined politics to fight for a better Nigeria where no region, geo-political zone, or person will be marginalised.
“The only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar, who openly declared that he is the pathway to the presidency of the South-East, is to show it by choosing someone from the South-East to be his vice.
“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well. I am not favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket that does not have a person of South-East origin as president or vice in 2027”

Politics

2027: Tinubu’s Projects Give APC Edge In South East – Yilwatda

Published

2 days ago

June 17, 2026

The Tide

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, on Monday said that the numerous projects being executed by President Bola Tinubu across the states in the southeast will give him upper hand over other presidential candidates during next year’s general elections.
Prof. Yilwatda stated this at the Abakaliki Township Stadium during a mega rally organized by the Ebonyi State government and Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, during which President Tinubu and other APC candidates for the 2027 general elections were adopted.
According to the APC National Chairman, no President had done for the southeast region what President Tinubu has done for them and expressed the confidence that the president would not only win in Ebonyi State but in the entire South East.
Prof. Yilwatda also used the occasion to address growing insinuations in some quarters that Ebonyi State had been conceded to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dismissing the claim, Prof. Yilwatda said the state would not allow the PDP to win any position in the forthcoming general election.
“We will return President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Francis Nwifuru as Governor of Ebonyi State in 2027.
“We want to return all APC senators, members of the House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates in 2027.
“Nobody has conceded Ebonyi to the PDP. Therefore, there is no vacancy in Ebonyi State. Ebonyi PDP has no place, and there is no vacancy at all in the Government House come 2027,” the APC National Chairman declared.
He commended the people of the state for their support for President Tinubu and urged them to re-elect him in the next presidential election in appreciation of what he has done for the state and the entire South-East through infrastructural transformation and human capital development.
Governor Francis Nwifuru, who also spoke at the event, said the state had no other presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections apart from President Tinubu.

He declared that Ebonyi remained a stronghold of the APC and vowed that the party would deliver the President in the state.

Gov. Nwifuru said President Tinubu had shown exceptional commitment to the state and deserved total support for appointing Senator Umahi as Minister of Works, a role he said Senator Umahi had performed creditably.

“Ebonyi has no other presidential candidate apart from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we will return him in the presidential election.

“We are standing here today to tell the whole world, especially those using the President’s name to orchestrate division and confusion in this great state, that we have only one party, and that is the APC.

“This statement became necessary because some people are going around claiming they have discussed with Mr President and that he has handed Ebonyi over to the PDP. They are also saying that Chief Nyesom Wike is their leader and that Wike said the President has given Ebonyi to him.

“Ebonyi is not for sale. We are restraining ourselves because the people are with us. Nobody should push us because we have what it takes to confront anyone trying to destabilise us.

“We want to tell Mr President that he has earned our votes. He gave us what we had never had in Eastern Nigeria — the office of the Minister of Works. And this Minister of Works is not sitting idle; he is working,” he stated.

Senator Umahi, in his remarks, said President Tinubu had done what no other President had done for Ebonyi State and the entire South-East by executing numerous projects across the state and the region.

“Ebonyi State is a one-party state under Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. We are not going to repeat the mistakes of the past.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done a lot, not just for Ebonyi State but for the entire South-East and other geopolitical zones,” he said.