From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru has lauded peaceful conduct of local government and councilorship elections across the 13 local government and 171 wards in the state.
Speaking after casting his votes in his Edukwu Okemini 002 polling unit, Oferekpe Agbaja, Izzi Local Government Area of the state, the governor also lauded large turn out of voters in the exercise.
He disclosed that candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged through transparent and credible process and expressed the hope that they will emerge victorious at the poll..
Nwifuru advocated for competitive election in every poll to produce best leaders.
“It is the will of the people. You don’t need security when people are choosing candidates in an election. I did not select the candidates; it is the people who selected them, while the political parties also selected their candidates.
“The process is ongoing. It is not a war; it is an election. That is why I believe we don’t need to stress ourselves over voting for a candidate of our choice to become our leader.
“There is nothing special about it other than allowing the people to select their candidates. Our party did that, and I believe other political parties also did the same.
“As the leader of the party in the state, if you ask me, I will tell you that I have no opponent. But other political parties have their candidates, even for the general election, and we expect to have reasonable opponents who can compete with us and also point out our lapses.
“When you have opponents, it is not only about competition. They can also show you things you don’t know. Sometimes, you need opponents because they can expose your shortcomings and areas where you need to improve. So, having an opponent is also good.
“Whether or not our party will win the election, my wish is for our party to win. I am a party man, and I believe in my party and all its candidates. I believe they have what it takes to occupy the positions they are contesting for”, the Governor said.
(The Sun)
