Utomi says APC, PDP cannot match LP grassroots support
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Labour Party (LP) Pat Utomi says the structures built by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are for vote mobilisation to rig the election in 2023.
He disclosed on Arise TV the LP is building a better structure that would include all state branches of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Utomi, a professor of political economy who stepped down for Peter Obi as LP president candidate, said the structures the APC and PDP refer to cannot be compared with what LP plans to do.
“What the PDP and the APC call structure is for mobilising for votes and rigging,” he argued.
He explained that LP is building a structure similar to that of South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) built on grassroots and local contacts.
LP composition
“In every state of the federation, the NLC has commissions … making 36 labour commissions. I still spoke to them two months ago. The TUC [Trade Union Congress] built its own,” Utomi said.
“Then above and beyond this, we have in the big tent groups like professional groups that are membership and have a commitment to a new order.
“We have other political parties that are part of this same big tent … the concerned professional societies that I talked about and almost all the support groups with their networks local, global in many cases, and all of those constitute structure.”
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Obi, LP don’t induce supporters with money
“Every meeting political parties have, people receive [money] … but for the first time in recent Nigerian history, the support groups [for Peter Obi] are the ones funding their activities,” Utomi added, per The PUNCH.
“I know for a fact hardly a dime has gone from the Peter Obi organisation to any of these movements you see around the country whether they’re called one-million, two-million or whatever march.
“All of those have been organic from the people. That hasn’t happened in Nigeria in a long time.
“Obi’s manifesto is ready and will be made [public] shortly, and the people will be happy.”