President Bola Tinubu yesterday appealed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure that the upcoming off-season governorship elections go smoothly in the three affected states.
President Tinubu gave the charge while handing out the APC’s flags to the candidates of the party in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states. He also said he is confident the party will do well in the elections scheduled to be held next week Saturday (November 11).
Tinubu handed the party’s flags to Governor Hope Uzodinma (Imo), who is running for a second term; Chief Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa) and Alhaji Usman Ododo (Kogi).
Addressing the candidates before handing out the flags, President Tinubu said;
“I want to thank the governor of Kogi State, Yahya Bello, who is working hard to ensure the handover to our elected candidate, Usman Ododo.
“We are happy to have Hope Uzodimma, the great hope of our party and the chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum. Thank you for the good job you are doing. Timipre Sylva congratulations on what you have achieved as a former governor and former minister.
“We are all facing the crusade for democracy, particularly in this time of elections. It is our hope and we have Hope Uzodimma as a candidate, that we will always come out victorious.
“I want to thank the active national leadership of our NWC and our hardworking Chairman. He is doing a good job and I thank him very much.”
Tinubu added just before handing the flags out to each candidate,
“All I am pleading is for free and fair elections. I believe we will do well.”
The event, which took place at the Banquet Hall of the State House, was graced by the APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and guests of the candidates.
The trio of Governor Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa) and Usman Ododo (Kogi), spoke after receiving the party’s flags as candidates from President Tinubu. Uzodimma said the allegation that he owed 40 months’ arrears of salary was false.
He said,
“I think it is a very good opportunity for me to clear the air on the so-called allegations. When I came to Imo State as the governor on January 15, 2020, from 2020 January to date, there was no month we have not paid salary before the 30th.
“The situation is that before this time, I thought that the trade union is a democratic entity that allowed the opinion of people. I don’t pay federal civil servants, I only pay Imo State civil servants and I challenged any Imo State civil servant who has not been receiving salary between January 15, 2020 and today to come out.
“In this ugly incident, the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) who is incidentally from Imo State was not able to demarcate the difference between being a national leader of an organisation and an interested party in local politics. But God will manage the situation.”
Reminded that the workers were accusing him of reneging on the January 2021 agreement aside from the backlog of salaries and this might impact his re-election, Uzodimma said;
“Well, I still repeat, there’s no worker in Imo State…recall I came in January 2020 and by March, I started paying the minimum wage of N30,000 that had been lying there, that previous leadership couldn’t pay. By December 2020 I paid the 13th month, the first time in the history of Imp State civil service and I have maintained continuously this 13th month payment as an incentive.
“I automated the payment system. Salaries are now received in an automated manner in Imo State. I brought new innovations, I reformed the civil service. No wonder in the civil service the entire Labour Congress of Imo State chapter endorsed me and I am the only candidate they are supporting in the election. The Nigerian Union of Pensioners endorsed me, from 2007 to 2020, no civil servants in Imo State received gratuity. It is only my government that has now floated bonds to pay outstanding gratuities to civil servants.
“So, I understand the sensitivity of this event but I want you people to be very careful because there’s an attempt to mix up partisan politics or an attempt to blackmail my government. But I can tell you that my people are already aware and that was why the Nigerian Labour Congress Imo State chapter, addressed a World Press Conference, that what their national leadership is saying is not correct. And that they are not coming to do any strikes or protests. In the process, they decided to resolve them to put in a caretaker.
“Of course, I am the chief security officer and I have the responsibility to intervene. I encouraged the national leadership not to devolve the management team that their tenure have not expired and that was what they did.
“I don’t interfere in Labour matters but I have convinced my workers in Imo State to believe in me and is that trust that the opposition parties are trying to fight. But I can assure you that the Imo people already have taken their decision. 11th November is by the corner…”.
