Rescheduled polls: Panicky PDP, APC intensify campaigns in Lagos, Rivers, Enugu, Abia, others

With the postponement of the governorship and State Homes of Meeting elections, many political events have intensified their campaigns.

It seems to be a make or mar battle in a number of the states.

DAILY POST stories that with the risk posed by the Obidient Motion, there’s panic in many of the Southern States, particularly South-East, South-South and Lagos State.

Members of the ruling events within the area, the Peoples Democratic Occasion, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, who’re uncomfortable with the Peter Obi tsunami which swept away lots of their candidates in the course of the Nationwide Meeting election, elevated the momentum of their campaigns prior to now few days.

The one week extension of the election date by the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Electoral Fee, INEC, has offered a possibility for the events to make additional efforts to win the hearts of the plenty.

In Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is now in all places, attempting to win the hearts of the Obidients who made the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu lose Lagos to Peter Obi.

That singular loss seems to have boosted the morale of the Labour Occasion candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhode-Vivour, that it was certainly potential to dislodge the APC in Nigeria’s financial capital.

Sanwo-Olu has been noticed in lots of strategic places, together with the Akere Market which was set ablaze by suspected political thugs, a go to to the victims of the Practice/BRT bus collision, in addition to another public locations.

In Rivers State, it isn’t a distinct state of affairs, with Governor Nyesom Wike attempting to assuage the emotions of the Igbo folks within the State. On Thursday, he hosted a delegation of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, throughout which he claimed he didn’t help Peter Obi as a result of no person instructed him about Igbo presidency.

In addition to, Wike who’s believed to have labored towards Obi, is now claiming that the LP presidential candidate is the hero of the just-concluded election.

Talking whereas addressing a city corridor assembly with Igbo merchants in Port Harcourt on Saturday, Wike stated Obi recorded victories the place the Peoples Democratic Occasion, PDP, would have gained.

“On this election that we simply did, Obi is my hero, so far as I’m involved. If he didn’t contest, energy would have remained within the North,” he stated.

It’s believed that every one his current feedback are supposed to assuage the emotions of the Obidient Motion.

The APC in Rivers shouldn’t be omitted, with former transport minister, Rotimi Amaechi, promising Ndigbo of a good deal if Tonye Cole emerges winner of the guber ballot.

The strikes are stated to be in an try to counter the recognition of the LP candidate.

In Enugu State, down South-East, PDP’s Peter Mbah has been seen in a number of locations, together with church buildings, markets and streets attempting to woo as many citizens as potential. That is not like the Enugu of the previous the place whoever emerged the PDP candidate for any election is adjudged elected.

However all that modified with the Obi tsunami which swept away the occasion’s candidates in the course of the presidential ballot.

DAILY POST stories that the occasion has gone forward to interact a former governor of the State, Barr. Sullivan Chime who’s shifting from one radio station to a different campaigning for Mbah. Although Chime, a member of the APC stated the PDP is useless, he instructed the Enugu citizens to vote for Mbah based mostly on his character.

In Anambra State, Governor Soludo is now all out, doing every part to have a majority of APGA members within the State Home of Meeting. In a current video, he was seen telling residents to vote in APGA lawmakers as he wouldn’t work with a member of some other occasion. He stated such a lawmaker would solely acquire wage and go dwelling, however wouldn’t get his consideration for infrastructure.

The Governor had earlier claimed the video was doctored however in an announcement by means of his Press secretary, Mr Chris Aburime, he stated Obi’s name on the folks to vote in LP candidates was moderately misleading, and was meant to put landmines for him (Soludo).

He stated: “That decision was meant to deceive Anambra folks. Obi cannot be speaking about growth in Anambra and likewise be speaking about asking Anambra folks to elect lawmakers from the opposition occasion to work with Soludo.

“He labored with a legislature that was dominated by lawmakers from the PDP, when he first got here in as governor, and he is aware of that it was not straightforward for him.

“He even suffered impeachment due to that, and we hope it isn’t the identical factor he desires to set Soludo up for.

“Anambra folks ought to go all out subsequent Saturday and vote for APGA, if they need the developmental strides of Mr Governor to proceed.

“You can’t be speaking of growth and on the identical time speaking of electing opposition politicians into the Home of Meeting, it isn’t performed. It’s deceit.

“Anambra folks supported Obi in the course of the presidential election, and moreover, Soludo refused to intrude because the folks trooped out to vote for Labour Occasion, and that was even earlier than Soludo made the atmosphere conducive for folks to come back out and vote.

“We’ve got voted for the Labour Occasion within the presidential election, however for the Home of Meeting election, we’re voting for APGA, and we wish Anambra folks to know so.”

It’s recent how Soludo rubished Obi’s emergence because the presidential candidate of the LP. He wrote an open letter then insisting that Obi wouldn’t make an influence within the election. However Obi gained over 90 p.c of the Anambra votes with out his (Soludo) help.

In Abia, the concern of the Obidients can be the start of political knowledge. The LP candidate, Alex Otti is little doubt gaining extra recognition, a growth troubling the PDP.

Talking to DAILY POST, a extremely positioned supply within the state stated, “the Obidient Motion is little doubt a worrisome. No one can wave apart its influence, that’s the reason we in Abia want that Peter Obi ought to keep apart and permit the folks make their alternative. His presence will affect the votes and it gained’t be within the curiosity of the PDP.”

It’s not a distinct state of affairs in Delta State the place Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s daughter, Marilyn Okowa-Daramola has been noticed begging Obidients for votes.

The PDP candidate for Home of Meeting, IKA South East constituency, was seen in a video begging LP supporters to please vote for her within the elections.

She stated she knew they have been indignant however that they need to forgive her and forged votes for her in the course of the elections.

Peter Obi gained Delta State in the course of the presidential election although the PDP vice-presidential candidate is from the state.

Analysts consider that the Obidients maintain the important thing to who would emerge the following governor of the oil wealthy state.

In his remarks when contacted, a former Nationwide Chairman of Alliance for Democracy, AD, and Nationwide President, Njiko Igbo Discussion board, an affiliate of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Rev Okechukwu Obioha stated there was no query of whether or not the Obidient Motion would spring additional surprises.

He stated. “Already, they gave a shocker in the course of the Presidential/Nationwide Meeting elections. A variety of sceptics by no means gave the Obidients any probability; at some extent they stated it was 4 individuals tweeting in a room; at one other level they stated, exactly El-Rufai, that they gained’t stand up to 200 individuals; each Dino Melaya and all different folks additionally stated we’re not going to maintain the steam, that it’s going to evaporate with time.

“So, they have been busy telling themselves lies till the Obidients took over the whole place; it has occurred and God has used Nigerians who’re drained to show them a lesson.

“God got here in himself and shocked the powers that be, significantly the PDP and the APC; the few that survived the tsunami are very blissful; they escaped by the whiskers.”

Okechukwu said that extra shocker awaits the PDP owing to how the occasion handled Ndigbo.

“The way in which it handled Ndigbo proper from the time of Ekwueme shouldn’t be good in any respect; despite the fact that the South-East gave the PDP their all, they’ve by no means been truthful to them.

“It was a form of shock that they modified the goalpost in the course of the sport; APC additionally did the identical factor. If you’re speaking about fairness, everybody is aware of the place the facility ought to go, however they by no means wished Ndigbo.

“Like Wike, you may see him making plenty of contradictions to himself, saying that he wished energy to come back to the South, he’s preaching fairness. However it seems that as a lawyer he doesn’t any longer know what fairness is all about.

“One is even questioning whether or not he’s a lawyer or an agbero. If he’s speaking about fairness, what’s tough in understanding that down South solely South-East has not produced the president? That’s the reason the centre couldn’t maintain for the G-5,” he added.

On the influence of the Obidient Motion forward of the guber polls, Obioha had this to say: “as a result of the PDP cheated us, we instructed them they aren’t going to even get 5 p.c and that’s what occurred to them.

“Within the guber election, it’s going to be the identical state of affairs, nothing goes to alter; sadly, some good people is not going to make it as a result of they’re within the PDP.

“Individuals are indignant and they’re going to exhibit it by the 18th of March. Obidients are going to take over in all places.

“Our principal, Peter Obi has been in Enugu, Abia, Edo, amongst others prior to now few days and his message is clear- ‘vote for LP candidates’, and that’s what all Obidients are going to do.

“We’re going to vote LP high to backside; by the point they see it, they may know we’re severe. All these in PDP and APC are actually politically accidented as a result of we’re going to vote LP all by means of.

“The one week extension is a blessing in disguise as a result of it’s giving Peter Obi the chance to run around the states. Yesterday he was in Enugu, right now in Abia, he’s like being moved by electrical energy. We wish to ensure we ship at the least 13 states to LP.”