Interview By Barivule B Akpo
CHAIRMAN SIR, CAN I MEET YOU?
My name is Hon. Benjamin Chinedu Ogbogbola, Rivers State Chairman, Zenith Labour Party and State Secretary, IPAC.
SIR, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS BILLED FOR 5TH OCTOBER, 2024?
Well the idea of conducting Local Government Elections come October 5th this year is a good one.
Actually, there has been a lots of problems before this time. But the governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara deem it necessary that local government elections hold.
This is to allow a democratically elected leadership of the local government areas takes over its due administration in the third tiers of government in the country.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission also have provided the guide lines which we as political parties have keyed in and as well issued or collected Intend Form in preparation for the elections.
We (Zenith Labour Party) have as such conducted our party primaries. So, we are ready to participate in the local government elections.
I am also aware that some other political parties must have done their primaries because the guide lines as stipulated by RSIEC said 3rd August is the last date.
Meaning that virtually all majority expected political parties are waiting for the elections.
Again, we are hoping that RSIEC will call us and issue the nomination form for our candidates and we follow the guidelines.
YOU HAVE ATTENDED SOME STAKEHOLDERS MEETING OF RSIEC, HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT THEY CAN CONDUCT FREE, FAIR AND CREDIBLE ELECTIONS?
Well, looking or hearing what they are saying, we believe them especially, the RSIEC Chairman who said it will not be as usual, where some politicians might feel that results shall be written at their demand.
This time around he urged us to go to our respective wards and polling units including villages and campaign. Emphasizing, political parties should go about campaigning as well as talking to the electorates on what the parties will want to do for them should they win the election, that this time there shall be no room of writing secret results and announce to the public.
And that votes will count on the 5th October. Therefore we are presently believing him except or otherwise, there is a change which we are also going to talk against it.
CHAIRMAN SIR, YOU HAVE CONDUCTED PRIMARIES OF YOUR PARTY, WHAT IS THE SPREAD OF ZENITH LABOUR PARTY IN RIVERS STATE ?
Our party cut across the length and breath of the entire 23 local government areas of Rivers State.
The people turned out in good numbers during the primaries, areas that we cannot conclude at the LGAs they also turned out at the party state secretariat to conduct the primary except in Okrika where the turn out was few yet we concluded the elections too.
The party have the required, I mean Chairmen and Councilors in all the LGAs.
SIR, I REPEAT DO YOU BELIEVE RSIEC CHAIRMAN, THAT THE ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE BUSINESS AS USUAL?
Yes, I believe him by his words just like I said earlier, except otherwise he changes, but I believe him as a man who had served in the judiciary aka man of the law and we have heard his precedent in the court hence, we are going to believe him except he changes I repeat.
WHAT TYPE OF CHANGE ARE YOU MAKING REFERENCE TO?
In a situation where he undemocraticaly declare all the elections for a Particular party only then we will know that there is problem and we shall rise against it.
YOU SAID SHOULD THERE BE PROBLEM YOU SHALL RISE AGAINST IT. IN THE FACE OF OUR CURRENT JUDICIARY JUDGEMENT , HOW WILL YOU GO ABOUT IT?
Well, going to the competent court of jurisdiction of course.
If we go to court and they throw out our case claiming technical ground, we shall appeal our matter to God Almighty and that is the only way we will go.
Again, we will put in every efforts to make the matter known to the entire world.
AS ONE OF THE MAJOR POLITICAL PARTY IN RIVERS STATE, WHAT WILL BE YOUR CARDINAL MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE?
You can see our flag, what you see there are human being. It’s indicate that our party deal directly with people not nomenclature, where parties carry umbrella brom, and so on.
I mean simply that we think people, capital development, social democratic process, infrastructure, economy, education, health as well as environmental services shall be addressed without undue consideration.
Not what our current leadership is doing. Our representative must be responsible and responsive to the people.
As you can see the people in our flag are clamping the ladder up. This simply meaning that our party has the required capability to move both economy and our social well being to the highest level expected of the government.
Another major objective of Zenith Labour Party is to provide a government of equity and true justice. A society where everybody shall be treated equally after all God created everybody equally. Today some persons feel they are super beings just because of chance and opportunity given to them.
Some areas/states where Zenith Labour Party candidates won an election, they ensured there is reaching out to the people policy.
Where Houses of Assembly and National Assembly representative carry out the palliative personally to the people and also find out their problems directly as well as treats the problem themselves.
Not in states where people hardly know or see their representative and our party shall be deprecating this in Rivers State, if voted into power.
The Zenith Labour Party Chairman said, it is only in our party that the youths can find their political footings as other political parties claiming leading parties are already been occupied with cartels and they operate like cult groups.
Rivers State Youths should understand that gone are the days when the saying that they are future leaders deceptive statement holding.
Our Youths should think and believe that they should be today’s leaders just like what the Rivers State governor, His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara is trying to do now. Today is time for leadership of Youths at the local government, state and federal administration.
CHAIRMAN WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE PEOPLE CONCERNING APC EXCLUDING THEMSELVES FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
Well if they do they are on there own. There are reasonable well over nineteen (19) political parties in Rivers State presently.
Therefore All Progressive Congress (APC) do not have any right to stop the local government elections in the state.
They are merely one amongst the rest of us hence, if they exclude themselves others are there for the elections.
APC do not have any legal right or local standing to stop e elections that others are ready to participate fully. CHAIRMAN SIR, CAN I MEET YOU?
My name is Hon. Benjamin Chinedu Ogbogbola, Rivers State Chairman, Zenith Labour Party and State Secretary, IPAC.
SIR, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS BILLED FOR 5TH OCTOBER, 2024?
Well the idea of conducting Local Government Elections come October 5th this year is a good one.
Actually, there has been a lots of problems before this time. But the governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara deem it necessary that local government elections hold.
This is to allow a democratically elected leadership of the local government areas takes over its due administration in the third tiers of government in the country.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission also have provided the guide lines which we as political parties have keyed in and as well issued or collected Intend Form in preparation for the elections.
We (Zenith Labour Party) have as such conducted our party primaries. So, we are ready to participate in the local government elections.
I am also aware that some other political parties must have done their primaries because the guide lines as stipulated by RSIEC said 3rd August is the last date.
Meaning that virtually all majority expected political parties are waiting for the elections.
Again, we are hoping that RSIEC will call us and issue the nomination form for our candidates and we follow the guidelines.
YOU HAVE ATTENDED SOME STAKEHOLDERS MEETING OF RSIEC, HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT THEY CAN CONDUCT FREE, FAIR AND CREDIBLE ELECTIONS?
Well, looking or hearing what they are saying, we believe them especially, the RSIEC Chairman who said it will not be as usual, where some politicians might feel that results shall be written at their demand.
This time around he urged us to go to our respective wards and polling units including villages and campaign. Emphasizing, political parties should go about campaigning as well as talking to the electorates on what the parties will want to do for them should they win the election, that this time there shall be no room of writing secret results and announce to the public.
And that votes will count on the 5th October. Therefore we are presently believing him except or otherwise, there is a change which we are also going to talk against it.
CHAIRMAN SIR, YOU HAVE CONDUCTED PRIMARIES OF YOUR PARTY, WHAT IS THE SPREAD OF ZENITH LABOUR PARTY IN RIVERS STATE ?
Our party cut across the length and breath of the entire 23 local government areas of Rivers State.
The people turned out in good numbers during the primaries, areas that we cannot conclude at the LGAs they also turned out at the party state secretariat to conduct the primary except in Okrika where the turn out was few yet we concluded the elections too.
The party have the required, I mean Chairmen and Councilors in all the LGAs.
SIR, I REPEAT DO YOU BELIEVE RSIEC CHAIRMAN, THAT THE ELECTIONS WILL NOT BE BUSINESS AS USUAL?
Yes, I believe him by his words just like I said earlier, except otherwise he changes, but I believe him as a man who had served in the judiciary aka man of the law and we have heard his precedent in the court hence, we are going to believe him except he changes I repeat.
WHAT TYPE OF CHANGE ARE YOU MAKING REFERENCE TO?
In a situation where he undemocraticaly declare all the elections for a Particular party only then we will know that there is problem and we shall rise against it.
YOU SAID SHOULD THERE BE PROBLEM YOU SHALL RISE AGAINST IT. IN THE FACE OF OUR CURRENT JUDICIARY JUDGEMENT , HOW WILL YOU GO ABOUT IT?
Well, going to the competent court of jurisdiction of course.
If we go to court and they throw out our case claiming technical ground, we shall appeal our matter to God Almighty and that is the only way we will go.
Again, we will put in every efforts to make the matter known to the entire world.
AS ONE OF THE MAJOR POLITICAL PARTY IN RIVERS STATE, WHAT WILL BE YOUR CARDINAL MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE?
You can see our flag, what you see there are human being. It’s indicate that our party deal directly with people not nomenclature, where parties carry umbrella brom, and so on.
I mean simply that we think people, capital development, social democratic process, infrastructure, economy, education, health as well as environmental services shall be addressed without undue consideration.
Not what our current leadership is doing. Our representative must be responsible and responsive to the people.
As you can see the people in our flag are clamping the ladder up. This simply meaning that our party has the required capability to move both economy and our social well being to the highest level expected of the government.
Another major objective of Zenith Labour Party is to provide a government of equity and true justice. A society where everybody shall be treated equally after all God created everybody equally. Today some persons feel they are super beings just because of chance and opportunity given to them.
Some areas/states where Zenith Labour Party candidates won an election, they ensured there is reaching out to the people policy.
Where Houses of Assembly and National Assembly representative carry out the palliative personally to the people and also find out their problems directly as well as treats the problem themselves.
Not in states where people hardly know or see their representative and our party shall be deprecating this in Rivers State, if voted into power.
The Zenith Labour Party Chairman said, it is only in our party that the youths can find their political footings as other political parties claiming leading parties are already been occupied with cartels and they operate like cult groups.
Rivers State Youths should understand that gone are the days when the saying that they are future leaders deceptive statement holding.
Our Youths should think and believe that they should be today’s leaders just like what the Rivers State governor, His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara is trying to do now. Today is time for leadership of Youths at the local government, state and federal administration.
CHAIRMAN WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE PEOPLE CONCERNING APC EXCLUDING THEMSELVES FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
Well if they do they are on there own. There are reasonable well over nineteen (19) political parties in Rivers State presently.
Therefore All Progressive Congress (APC) do not have any right to stop the local government elections in the state.
They are merely one amongst the rest of us hence, if they exclude themselves others are there for the elections.
APC do not have any legal right or local standing to stop e elections that others are ready to participate fully.***
