2023: NULGE Planning to Work Against Atiku, Obi, Tinubu, Gives Reason
- In a build-up to the 2023 presidential polls, personal and group interest seems to be the major leverage to pin down candidates
- Speaking of leverage, the National Association of Local Government Employees (NULGE) says they will not be giving their support to any candidate who does not agree to their demand
- The leader of NULGE, Olatunji Ambali said the association will only mobilise vote for the candidate who is willing to prioritise local government autonomy
FCT, Abuja - The presidential bid of the major frontrunners, Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi is under threat at the grassroots level heading into the 2023 presidential polls.
According to a Vanguard newspaper report, the National Association of Local Government Employees (NULGE) will not be supporting any of the top three presidential candidates if they do not have provision for local government autonomy.
Source: UGC
The national president of NULGE, Olatunji Ambali made this known in Abuja on Thursday, June 30.
Ambali during a press briefing said only Kogi and Abia amongst all the 36 states of the federation have passed the bill for local government autonomy.
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In his address, he urged the presidential flag bearer to include grassroots politics into their agenda and help them secure the local councils’ autonomy.
He said:
“On that background, NULGE wants to call on the prominent political candidates, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu of APC, Atiku Abubakar of PDP, and Peter Obi of Labour party to come out categorically and clearly, to let Nigerians know their mindset and plan on local government autonomy.
“They must come out. What do they intend to do? Any candidate that failed to state categorically his stand on local government autonomy should not be voted for by Nigerian people. NULGE would go out to mobilise against such candidate.”
NULGE appeals for passage of LG autonomy bill in other states
The NULGE president further called on other states to pass the local government autonomy bill urging them to see it as a patriotic duty.
He said:
“We would be able to stand a good ground to vote for a candidate that intends to grant local government autonomy or sustain local government autonomy struggle.
“Apart Kogi and Abia states that have passed autonomy bill, we want to call on the remaining 34 states assembly to see it as a patriotic duty the quick passage of Local Government Autonomy Bill."
Meanwhile, Ambali said the unity, peace and stability of Nigeria is not negotiable, he said the incessant rate of insecurity, unemployment and a host of other challenges facing the country needs to be salvaged urgently.
He however stated that granting local government autonomy is the best possible solution in fixing the problems of Nigeria as it is now.
2023: Igbo group vows to vote massively for Bola Tinubu
In another contrasting development, the an Igbo APC group has pledged their undoubted loyalty to the presidential bid of Bola Tinubu.
Heading into the 2023 elections, the group said Tinubu's love for the Igbo people in Lagos informed the decision.
The group however stated that the southeast needs to build bridges for an Igbo man to be the president of Nigeria.
2023: Timi Frank urges INEC to disqualify Tinubu over certificate controversy
In a related development, a former deputy national publicity secretary of the APC, Timi Frank, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to disqualify Tinubu from the 2023 general elections.
In a statement he issued in Abuja on Sunday, June 26, Frank also called on the ruling party to replace Tinubu if it hopes to be on the presidential ballot for 2023.
His demand followed the controversial educational qualification claims by the Lagos state ex-governor as contained in his presidential nomination forms recently published by INEC.
Source: Legit.ng
