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