Revealed: UPP candidates may step down for APC counterparts
By Abolaji Adebayo
Barely five days to the presidential and federal legislative elections and 19 days to the governorship and State House of Assembly elections, there is strong indication that the candidates of the United Progressive Party (UPP) may back out of the race and support the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Already, the UPP has adopted the APC presidential candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari as a sole candidate to be voted by the parties on February 16.
Echonews gathered that there have been series of meetings between the two parties to join forces together for the APC candidates from the Senate to the House of Representatives and state House of Assembly in Oshodi-Isolo and other constituencies across the state.
A reliable source close to the UPP Party told Echonews that the Lagos State Chairman of the party who doubles as the state gubernatorial candidate, Hon. Mazi Micheal Okereke, has summoned all the candidates of the party, trying to convince them to adopt the candidates of APC as sole candidates for the forthcoming elections.
The source said negotiation has been ongoing to buy over the UPP candidates, and that all the candidates have been soft pedalling and may succumb to the negation.
The source further revealed that only the Senatorial candidate of the party – UPP, Princess Nkem Chibogu Kenneth, has refused to be part of the negotiation.
When contacted, Kenneth confirmed the negotiation going on between the two parties but said she has not agreed and would never agree to the negotiation.
She said: “Yes my chairman South West and chairman Lagos West and our national chairman, and Chief of staff know about this.
“Other candidates of my party including those in Oshodi-Isolo constituencies are going for negotiation only me refused.
“They told me I’m the only one going others are for negotiation. When this got to me, I had no choice but to continue my struggle any how.
“They are doing meeting after meeting with APC people, I mean my chairman and the excos. They have been asking me to come so we all sit down with Sanw-Olu and his people, but I refused.
“I’m not working with them so that they don’t sell my votes to Yayi. I got different people as my agents, my own people. I don’t use anyone of them as agent for my polling booths.
“Because I didn’t go to them, they can’t influence me. I know they can sell my votes to Yayi.”
Meanwhile, Kenneth boosted that no matter the strategies deployed by APC and her party, she would win the election.
“I still say it and will say it, Yayi can’t beat me in this race. Forget he’s everywhere sharing gifts. He has the money, but until the last day,” she claimed.
However, the UPP governorship candidate, Okereke, who spoke to Echonews on phone, said the negotiation has not started, saying the party would call a conference when it is time for negotiation.
“At the national level, we have adopted President Muhammadu Buhari as our candidate, but we have not negotiated in Lagos state. When it is time to negotiate, we shall call conference,” he said.
