By Christian Njoku
Labour Party (LP) in Cross River on Tuesday urged the electorate in the state to vote wisely during the elections on Saturday and March 11.
Dr Ofem Lekam, Public Relations Officer of the party in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar that the LP was sensitising the electorate on the importance of doing so.
Lekam said that the sensitisation became imperative to drive home the message that receiving N1,000, wrapper and other items from political parties on election days was nothing compared to four years of good life.
He said that the party was also going round the rural areas to dissuade the people from vote selling and buying.
According to him, the party is telling rural dwellers in the state that they should collect whatever they are given on election day but vote the right person.
“Whoever comes with money, wrapper or salt, collect it, but don’t vote them; they are giving you what belongs to you, their N1000 cannot feed you for four years.
“We are telling them in the rural areas that if they collect money and sell their votes to the wrong persons, in the next four to eight years everyone will suffer the consequence.
“Today, a bag of rice that is supposed to be less than N10,000 is being sold for more than N40,000 and it is the first time in the history of Nigeria that someone would have to use money to buy the local currency, naira, it is absurd,” he said.
He disclosed that the LP would be holding the grand finale of its rallies in the state on Feb. 22 because it could not hold it on Feb. 18 due to its clash with that of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in the state.
Lekam, however, said that the party had held rallies in Yakurr, Abi, Ogoja, Obudu and other Local Government Areas, (LGAs) in the state.
He said that the presidential candidate of the party stood a better chance of winning the election in the south.
Lekam said their rallies could not be compared to those of the other political parties because people attended from far and near without financial inducement.
“The message about Obi has gone everywhere, anybody who thinks people in the rural areas are not aware of the LP and its candidates is just joking.
“We have distributed flyers everywhere in the state, religious and traditional organisations are sensitising their members on how and where to vote,” he said.
He urged supporters of the party in the forthcoming rally and election to conduct themselves properly by being peaceful and law abiding. (NAN)
