MY ADVICE TO ABIA STATE LABOUR PARTY EXECUTIVES IS TO LEARN TO MANAGE IT’S NEW FOUND VICTORY WITH MORE WISDOM.
The statement credited and issued by Labour Party leadership few days ago and signed by its Secretary, Reverend Andrew Ohiagba and being circulated in all platforms by the State Chairman, Ceekay Igara boldly warning who they refer to as “stakeholders” and “new comers” to their party is to me so condescending and utterly malicious to the generality of Abians that came together in one accord to work for Labour Party’s victory on the 18th of March, 2023.
This statement also is coming too early in the day and speaks to the fact that the promoters of this divide and rule antics are ignorant of the Obidient movement that defeated the PDP incumbency power machine in Abia State.
I do not believe we should start now to educate the Labour Party State executives who endorsed those statements calling Stakeholders newcomers to their party of who and what actually constitute the so called Abia stakeholders.
But for purposes of clarity of thoughts, the stakeholders are first and foremost, the Obidient philosophers, good governance advocates, good governance investors, change agents, leaders United against bad governance, citizens affected by poor leadership, political influencers, etcetera. The stakeholders are a legion, they represent the unobtrusive movement that collectively halted the 24 years of uninterrupted poor leadership by PDP in the state. The stakeholders are not ordinary people that should be dismissed by a rude wave of malicious hand, they are real and unimaginable.
I expected the Labour Party State Exco Council to issue a statement thanking all Abians and who they tag as the stakeholders that came together to fight to wrest power from the PDP to Labour Party and not that statement that tended to cast the Party in competition with a movement that gave it victory and made name for it.
The victory by all its content is by all Abians and for all Abians. The motley, almost non existent Labour Party structure in the State was not in any match with the behemoth PDP structure that loomed so large until the momentum of the Obidients and other patriotic Abians came together to rescue the state on election day. The State Exco of Labour Party trying now to claim sole glory for the gallantry of the so called stakeholders and indeed all Abians is both egregious and selfish of the promoters of such backwards narrative.
I am very confident that Dr. Alex Otti clearly understands the magnitude of trust put on his shoulders by entire Abians who came together from all the local governments, the three senatorial zones and the various clans to say he’s the right person for now. Therefore the message inputed by the State Labour Party organ in their press release should be seen for what it is, as characteristic of men with small town complex who prefer being the CEO of an unknown company to being a significant shareholder of a fortune 500 company.
Dr. Alex Otti I know will distance himself from the thoughtlessness of these local champions.
The governor elect will be for no one, but for everyone.
Odo Ijere, Okpotemba.
