OWERRI- Labour Party’s (LP) Presidential Candidate in the 2023 General Elections, Mr Peter Obi, spareheaded Tuesday’s launch of the party’s governorship campaign for the November 11 poll in Imo.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Obi was accompanied at the well-attended event by Gov. Alex Otti of Abia, the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, and other national chieftains of the party.

They were received in the state by the party’s governorship candidate, Sen. Athan Achonu, and other Imo LP chieftains.

In a speech, Obi assured Imo people of Achonu’s readiness to steer the ship of the state to safe waters.

“We know what it takes to change Nigeria, so we plead with Imo people to give him their support.

“Today, we are here to launch the governorship campaign and unveil Achonu’s manifesto and I assure you that we will not let you down,“ he said.

Also, Otti said that the party “has only one authentic candidate and the full weight of the party is with him”.

He urged Imo people to disregard “baseless rumours”, alleging the nullification of Achonu’s candidacy.

“I’m here as a witness. I conducted the only accepted party primary election that produced Achonu as the governorship candidate for Imo LP,” Otti said.

On his part, Achonu said that, if elected, the LP government would, among other things, focus on job and wealth creation and provision of infrastructure.

He said that with the recent killings of innocent citizens and general insecurity, the upcoming election offered Imo people “an opportunity to reverse the current trajectory of inept and ineffective governance that has practically destroyed the hopes and aspirations of our people”.

“As widely acknowledged, the basic indices for measuring human development have largely been in retrogression in Imo.

“Unfortunately, we have witnessed a descent to anarchy and lawlessness that has turned vast swathes of our homeland into abandoned spaces for criminality so that Imo people no longer visit their villages nor go home for traditional ceremonies, such as burials and weddings.

“These ceremonies now happen outside people’s homelands.

“This is what we have come to change,“ the LP governorship hopeful said.

He also flayed what he described as “the collapse of the state’s economy”, resulting in capital flight, divestment and business failures.

He promised that, under his watch, Imo people would enjoy access to affordable health care. (NAN)