OJIEVA EHIOSUN 
Comrade Ogbaloi Kelly, a social commentator, is the Chairman of Labour Party in Edo State. He spoke with OJIEVA EHIOSUN on a number of issues ranging from insecurity, corruption, banditry, the economy to 2023 general elections and the move to have former President Goodluck Jonathan join the presidential race. Excerpts…
How prepared is your party for the 2023 general elections?
Labour Party as you know is a serious political party that tends to bring changes to the Nigeria system as it were and is fully prepared for the forthcoming general elections and ensures that everything about the election is taken charge of seriously. Labour Party is a party that is well established, well organised, well structured and with visionary persons at the top. In any society where the system is not structured in such a way that would benefit the masses things are always very different for the citizens. So for us in Labour Party, we are working very hard and also fully ready in respect to the coming elections. If you are talking of a party that can change the narratives in Nigeria, such political party is the Labour Party.
Are there crisis at the national level of you regarding choice of candidates for the election?
No. I told you that Labour Party is one of the most organised political parties in Nigeria with men of proven integrity as managers. Barrister Julius Abure is the national chairman of the party, he is a perfect gentleman, he is doing marvelously well, and he is piloting the affairs of the party beyond expectations. He is quite excellent, his administrative maneuverings are paying off, we don’t have crisis at all. We are all working towards emancipating Nigeria from the hands of the APC government that has kept Nigerians in the dark for almost seven years. There is serious apartheid and crisis in our nation. Nigerians are praying for freedom and the only political party that can free our people and give them hope for tomorrow again is the Labour Party. As at today, the National Working Committee (NWC) and all other factors that have linkage with them are perfectly in order, they understand themselves and are working to ensure the successes of the party at the forthcoming polls.
Politics in Nigeria is all about money, does Labour have the financial power to fight APC and PDP?
That is why we are educating the people that it is not money that will automatically change the Nigeria system. Yes, money is critical to everything we do, but too much emphasis is not good, it is wrong and that is what this party is against. So Labour Party is saying don’t look at us as if we don’t have the physical cash to give at the moment, but we can jointly work together; father, mother and children; paving a way for a better future for us all. It would be better than sharing money and putting the future of our unborn children in jeopardy. Eating up your future today and forgetting tomorrow.
As the chairman of the party in Edo State, are you carrying your members along in the day to day running of the party?
Definitely, I just finished meeting with the secretary, we run an open door policy. We are making sure that everything required by INEC for the coming election is done accordingly. So we are in the ship together, no one is left behind. There are calls by different groups for former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to join the presidential race under APC, how do you see this development? My view here would be very personal, personal in the sense that Goodluck Jonathan is an individual that has the right to think and the right to make choices not withstanding what has happened in the past. Goodluck Jonathan had the right to a second term in office, and this was taken away then by these same people, so if by his current thinking it is plausible for him to go back to these same people and seek for any office whether president or otherwise is ought to him. So I feel as human being, and as a Nigerian, he has right to think and the right to make choices and decide what is good for him. Why are Nigerians having sleepless nights over Jonathan going to APC or not, whether the move is suicide or not, he has his cross to carry.
If eventually he joins the race and gets the ticket under APC, do you think that Nigerians will vote APC again in 2023?
If you ask me what I think, I will tell you that Labour Party is the answer to Nigeria problem. On the other hand, you are talking about advice to Nigerians, for those who grossly refused to understand that we had a government that brought poverty, a government that brought mayhem, a government that brought hunger, a government that brought pains, sorrow, sufferings illiteracy, ignorance and death to the people. That is not what we Labour Party is thinking about, and that is not a government anyone should queue behind, so Nigerians should start making up their minds where they want to belong. We have never in the history of this nation had it so bad. We do not need a prophet to us that the current government has failed us, and a continuation or an extension of the APC government will not mean well for us a nation.
