Asaba Protest: Labour Party Merely Seeking Optical Relevance—Dan Ossai

Asaba Protest

OpenLife Nigeria reports that Delta State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has dismissed a protest march by Labour Party in the State Capital, Asaba, on Monday, July 8, 2024 in which it complained about the arrangements ahead the local council poll.

According to a statement signed by Engineer Dan Ossai, State Secretary,PDP, Delta State, the party said it has received reports about the protest where Labour spokespersons tabled a list of demands and grievances ahead of the July 13, Delta State Local Government Elections, including the conduct of free and fair elections and the announcement of results at polling units.

The demands, according to the statement were tabled before the State Commissioner of Police, the State Chairman of Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) and the DSS.

Responding, PDP described that protest as mere exercise to seek optical relevance by Labour Party that is ill prepared for the council poll.

The statement is partly reproduced below:

We are indeed amazed that while the PDP has been fully busy, meticulously fulfilling all the electoral processes and organizing comprehensive, colourful and carnival-like campaigns rallies with massive turn-outs across all the Local Governments in the State, in adherence to the stipulated timelines of the timetable for the Local Government election released by DSIEC, the Labour Party has instead, decided to muster and channel its energies and lean resources into organizing a protest march to complain about the conduct of an election that they are glaringly unprepared for and are not even ready or equipped to fully participate in.

Delta PDP has always embarked on broad-based, robust, all encompassing and all inclusive rallies, as well as mop-up, door-door mosquito campaigns ahead of every election, while the opposition has often busied itself with complaints and protests instead of campaigning to Deltans and selling their candidates and manifestos to the people, thus, this Labour Party protest is a mere diversionary and digressive smokescreen to seek visibility and some sort of optical relevance, which is absolutely tangential, immaterial, insignificant and of no consequence whatsoever to the conduct and outcome of the election.

It is the people who will vote; the same people that have turned up enmasse for our campaign rallies in all Local Governments and Wards since campaigns commenced, while the opposition, which has failed woefully to organize even the modicum of a serious, proper and robust campaign rally, is rather busy marching up and down in protest and crying wolf where none exist.

We are therefore inviting the Labour Party and indeed all other opposition parties, to our Mega Campaign Rally on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, to witness the overwhelming turn out of joyful, happy and excited Deltans from all the three Senatorial Districts in the State, as we hold the grand finale of our campaign for the forthcoming July 13 Council Election and once again consolidate our claim and declaration that Delta is PDP and PDP is Delta.