LP Denies Pact With YPP, Others To Surrender Structure

As the governorship and state Assembly polls slated for Saturday inches closer, leaders and stakeholders of the Labour Party (LP) in Akwa Ibom State, has dismissed as false and misleading the rumour making the rounds that the party has entered into a pact with the Young Progressives Party (YPP) with a view to surrendering its structure ahead of the elections.

At a press conference in Uyo, the state capital, yesterday, the director general of the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaigns Council (PCC), Capt. Augustine Okon (rtd), the governorship candidate, Mr Uduakobong Peter and the state chairman of the party, denounced the alleged unholy alliance, pointing out that their crave for LP, was borne out of its recent showing at the presidential election, in which it emerged strong.

Assuring that the party would work assiduously towards winning the governorship and state Assembly polls, the Obi/Datti PCC DG, assured that LP won the presidential poll with clear margin, vowing that the victory would be restored as Obi, the national leadership of the party and other stakeholders were assiduously working to get the mandate restored by the court.

He said, “No part of PCC or LP has collapsed their structures for any political party. Even though we had been robbed and raped at the presidential election, the PCC and LP are intact; despite what has happened to our principal, Peter Obi, he has instructed us to remain calm, firm and resolute in pursuing to recover the mandate, and we stand with him.

“So, I enjoin all our teeming supporters to disregard any rumour or misinformation that the LP has disintegrated or sold out; we are intact in the state because we have a governorship candidate in Uduakobong Peter Udo, a computer expert, who is coming to create jobs, grow the economy and develop infrastructure to change the outlook of the state to become centre of excellence in tourism, business and investment.”

In the same vein, the governorship candidate, Uduakobong Peter, described the allegation as borne of fear over the LP sterling performance at the polls, noting that the party has shocked the whole nation, given the fact that it was initially dismissed as a party without structure.

Peter, who appreciated the electorates for being the driving force for a genuine change, noted that the widespread acceptability of the party by Nigerians, has made it a beautiful bride to be courted by other political parties, and urged adherents not to be deceived by what he called “cheap propaganda.”

“I can’t betray Akwa Ibom people; the lies spewed are the handiwork of mischief makers, and we won’t be distracted because we have put everything in place to ensure we win massively in both the governorship and state Assembly elections this Saturday,” he stressed.

Also, the state chairman of the party, who was represented by his deputy, Pastor Iniobong Nyong, charged party supporters to ensure they rally round LP again, to get such spectacular results in the governorship and state Assembly polls, and disregard the rumour of alleged compromise going into the exercise this weekend.