Photo: Mr Peter Obi, LP presidential candidate
Elections: LP has accredited agents in all polling units —Chairman
The National Chairman of Labour Party (LP) Mr Julius Abure has refuted reports that the party does not have enough polling agents for the 2023 general elections, and stressed that LP has accredited agents in all polling units for the elections.
Abute, who made the clarifications at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, urged Nigerians to disregard such speculations.
“Well, I am happy that INEC has eventually released the number of polling unit agents.
“Although the number we uploaded was more than 140, 000, what INEC released in their website was 134, 874 LP polling unit agents.
“This represents more than 73 per cent of polling unit agents accredited by INEC and, therefore, for us any student who scores above 70 per cent in an examination has scored an `A’.
“This is contrary to the speculation that Labour Party has no agents or that it has only 41,000 agents.
“I read in the social media that Labour Party has only 40,000 poling agents.
“With the Labour Party’s endorsement by some political parties which had uploaded 96,034 poling agents working with us, you can see that we have more than the number of agents required.
“And it will shock you that by Thursday a lot of other political parties will be joining us and will be working with us.
“I don’t want to pre-empt those political parties until they make their announcements.
“So, all these put together, we are home and dry when it comes to polling unit agents.
“But beyond this, any citizen who is supporting the Labour Party is a polling unit agent.
“We want independent citizens to be checks on the polling unit agents that we have accredited.
“Every citizen who is supporting Labour Party and Peter Obi is a polling unit agent and we expect them not just to vote, but to stand, wait and defend their votes,’’ Abure said.
“You know they have always speculated, they initially speculated that we have no structure, but today I know they are no longer thinking along that line.
“They have seen that the people indeed are the structure and that no man or woman can stop an idea whose time has come,’’ Abure said.
Abure urged Nigerians to exercise their franchise by voting for the Labour Party without fear or intimidation.
According to him, the time has come for Nigerians to take back their country and they are ready to do so through the ballot.
According to him, every supporter of the Labour Party is a polling agent.
He urged Nigerians to turn out en-masse and to support the Labour Party at the elections.
“If you are a supporter of the Labour Party, you must, therefore, be an agent for the party on the day of election.
“We expect that you will not only go to the polling booth to cast your vote; you have a responsibility to also defend your vote.
“We appeal to you to vote, be on standby, and keep an eye on INEC officials, security agents and on accredited party agents so that you will check what is going on.
“And you have a responsibility to query any activity that you find that will compromise the processes,’’ Abure told supporters.
