2023: Utomi Optimistic of Labour Party Victory
A political economist, Professor Pat Utomi, has said the Labour Party has a better structure than the nation’s two dominant parties – the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Utomi made the comment on Tuesday while playing guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
The Labour party member said he is optimistic that his party will win in the 2023 presidential election, which is barely seven months away.
“Labour Party has a super structure, much better than the structures APC and the PDP have,” he said. “The Labour Party is built around the labour movement and a college of civil society organisations.”
He said there are political commissions for the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in each federation’s states.
He stated that the party would mobilise people during the forthcoming polls to ensure that every polling booth was covered.
Utomi, on the other hand, denounced a scenario in which persons in positions of authority would commit fraud by stealing money from businesses to rig elections.
He added that because the public wants a new story, the scenario in which politicians buy their way to victory during elections is changing.
“With the structure that we have, I am guaranteeing that on the election day, in every polling station in this country, there are at least 15 people who are standing up for the third force to support the Labour party candidate,” he said.
He criticised the performance of the APC and PDP that have ruled Nigeria when asked why he is sure of the triumph of his party, the Labour Party.
Utomi stressed that Nigerians expect new confidence from new leadership after pointing out that they were responsible for making Africa’s most populous country bankrupt through excessive borrowing.
Ahead of the poll, the Labour party has fielded former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi as its presidential candidate, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as PDP’s flagbearer with former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu to fly the APC’s flag in the 2023 presidential election.
