The coalition of all the Obidient support groups in Rivers State have reaffirmed their support for the Labour Party governorship candidate in the state, Beatrice Itubo, denying reports that they endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Sim Fubara.
The reiteration by the Obidients as Peter Obi’s supporters are fondly called, follows the controversial announcement by the deposed Rivers State Labour Party Chairman, Dienye Pepple, in which he said they would be supporting Fubara ahead of their own candidate in the upcoming governorship election.
Speaking in a fully packed hall at the Labour Party secretariat in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, leader of the Obidients group, Ceaser Arinze, said the former party chairman has misinformed Rivers people and Nigerians.
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“It has come to our notice that the recently dissolved executive of the Labour Party in Rivers State led by its Chairman Comrade Deinye Pepple in his adoption speech of the PDP candidate, Sim Fubara, had misinformed Rivers people and Nigerians claiming that the Obidients are part of the agreement or endorsement of Mr Fubara.
“We the Obidients resident in Rivers State unequivocally state that we are not part of their merchandising. We have no intention to move away from our goals and objectives of building a new Nigeria with our principal Mr. Peter Obi,” he said.
Also speaking, Veteran Nollywood actress Hilda Dokubo, who has been appointed as the acting Chairman of the Labour Party in Rivers State reiterated that the Obidients are not in support of the former Chairman’s announcement and they don’t know how their name got involved.
“The Obidients were mentioned in the story and we have called ourselves as Obidients resident in Rivers State who are also voters. We have called ourselves to find out exactly how we got in a conversation that we were not invited and the result of all our meeting is what we are here to discuss and to let the world know,” Dokubo said.
On her part, the the Labour Party governorship candidate Itubo berated the dissolved party executives in the state, saying that all they cared about was money.
“We know very well that these people have never been there from the beginning but we just wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt because a lot of indices has pointed to us that they are moles.
“Right from the times of the campaigns, these are executives that before they follow you to campaign they will say you must pay them. It is on record that every day these people followed us to campaign we chattered bus for them and we pay them N150,000 and that doesn’t include if the South-South man is coming with us, he will say we should give him his own 50 separately, the chairman we also say we give him another 50 separate.
“So every time we go out we are spending about N250,000 on them when party faithful, the support groups that have been coming in their numbers volunteers themselves without collecting a dime,” Itubo said.
Following the endorsement of Fubara by the Pepple led executive, the National Chairman of the Labour Party dissolved the executive in Rivers State.
The party has since constituted a new executive to lead the party in the state in acting capacity, appointing Dokubo as the acting chairman.
