By Easy Ekoyatah

Edo State Chairman of the Labour Party, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi today (Wednesday 14th February) said the party has commenced the screening process for delegates election/congresses ahead of the party's primary scheduled for February 23, 2024.

Speaking with newsmen in Benin City during a delegates screening exercise held at the party Secretariat, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi, Chairman of the 10 man screening committee said the screening is to ensure a fair process for the emergence of delegates for the party’s governorship primary.

Ogbaloi said the screening exercise is a traditionally required item in dealing with the internal politics of the party adding that, "We want those who will eventually become the delegates of our party, who will contest it to be screened and be sure that they are competent in character and otherwise for them to be in the congress and eventually in the election of delegates that will come to the primary."

On his part, Edo State Labour Party Publicity Secretary and Spokesman, Comrade Sam Uroupa said that the screening exercise is to ensure that there is no hijacking of the process by political godfathers adding that there would be no statutory or super delegates.

Uroupa noted that the process will throw up eligible and qualified delegates both at the ward and local government council’s levels for the primary.

"The screening is both for the ward and local government delegates for the primary of our party. It is primarily to ensure that those screened are eligible to qualify for our party delegate.

"The criteria here is that, a person must be a card carrying member with full financial commitment to the party. That means, he or she must be paying his or her party dues and also working for the interest of the party. We required items like LP Identify Card, Voters Card among others to be a bonafide member of the party.

"Noteworthy, these are the people that are going to elect the ward delegates, the ward delegates who in turn are going to elect the LGA delegates, the LGA 7 delegates, who will come and elect the flagbearer of our party.

"This is a process leading to the primary to ensure it is hitch free. This tells you that the process is grassroots, because people from the grassroots are driving the process. They would determine our party's governorship candidate. And the people are to elect who is to be their own delegates and who would stand on behalf of them to go for the primary.

"With this screening, there is no hijacking of the process, there is no godfatherism, no super delegates, and no statutory delegates. The process is completely driven by the people from the ward, by the ordinary card carrying members of our party.

"We are promising that the entire primary is going to be free, fair and credible. The credibility is the foundation we are starting with the screening process now." Uroupa said.

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