By Emmanuel Amatutu
CHAIRMANSHIP hopeful for Ughelli North local government area, Ufuoma Peter Akpodiete, has appealed to ENDSARS protesters I’m Ughelli and environs to be peaceful and law-abiding as they embark on their protest.
He also expressed his condolence to the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ughelli ‘A’ division police station, Mr. Kevin Zuokumor on the demise of one of his men, Corporal Stanley Etaga who was killed during a clash with protesters on October 8.
Akpodiete who is running for the number one position of the council on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP describe the October 8 incident as unfortunate and sad with an appeal on the protesters to be peaceful as they embark on their protest.
He said: “Being in a democratic society we all know that the people are entitled to their right for a peaceful protest, however they should embark on such peaceful protest with respect and decorum to the rule of law.”
The chairmanship hopeful who is an economics graduate and Masters Degree holder of Petroleum Economics from the Delta State University, Abraka, also promise to enthrone development in the area if elected as local council chairman.
Speaking on his plans for Ughelli North, he said: “I want my people particularly those at the grassroot, to feel the impact of democracy as I believe this in turn has negatively affected the fortunes of the PDP in the area.”
He said: “I want to build on what is on ground in further repositioning Ughelli North. When done, I believe it will serve as a catalyst to strengthen the PDP in the area which in turn will be reflected at the polls. If you notice in recent times, the PDP has always found it difficult to win the council during general elections, and this is one thing I intend correcting.
“Being a grassroot man, I want to infuse more vibe into the party and Ughelli North as a council starting from the grassroot and I believe that I can actualize this effectively if given the mandate to pilot the affairs of the council being the chairman.”
Shedding light on the electoral challenges of the party in the area, he said: “The electoral problem we face as a party in Ughelli North is the non-electoral involvement of political actors at the urban areas of Ughelli. They normally relocate to their respective bases for the elections and leave the urban areas of Ughelli with 35 polling units for the non-indigenes who do not actively participate in the elections.”
