ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Edo State, Olumide Akpata, has reaffirmed his commitment to winning the September 21 election, despite the leadership crisis within the party.
Speaking in Benin, the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) emphasized that the crisis will not impede his performance in the poll, as his focus is on the people of Edo State, who are his target audience.
He said, “If we were having primaries, I would be bothered, but we are campaigning ahead of the governorship election. Our target audience is the people of Edo State.
“They are the electorate. We need their votes. It is not in contention that I am the candidate of LP in Edo State. Nobody is dragging the ticket with me.”
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Akpata acknowledged that every organization has its issues, but expressed confidence in the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms to find a resolution.
He added, “There is no doubt that a united house is better than a divided one. We will move on. I do not think any voter in Edo State will say because there is a quarrel between two people inside one place, I will not go and vote for Olu Akpata.”
Meanwhile, the LP’s leading aspirant, Kenneth Imansuangbon, had filed suits against Akpata at the Federal High Courts in Abuja and Benin, challenging his election as the party’s standard bearer in Edo.
Imansuangbon expressed optimism about emerging victorious in the suits before the courts, as a billionaire philanthropist, popularly referred to as Riceman, given his regular distribution of free bags of rice to Edo residents in the 18 local government areas, Nation reports.
However, Akpata maintains focused on his campaign, urging voters to listen to his message and vote for him if they are convinced.
He said, “They will listen to the message that Olu Akpata has for them. If they are convinced, they will vote for me. If they are not convinced, they will not vote.”