By Ogechi Nwachukwu
Former governor of Abia and the senator representing Abia North, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, has advised politicians to concentrate in their wards and zones, instead of following President Bola Tinubu in his nationwide campaigns.
Kalu on his facebook stressed the need for a leaner presidential campaign train.
“The president should be allowed to attend campaign rallies without unnecessary large number of people following him in the campaign train.”
Instead, they should return to their respective states and work at the grassroots level to mobilize support and deliver victory to the APC.
“Let Tinubu move with a small team. The rest of the leaders should stay back and talk to voters where they live,’’ the former governor emphasized.
An APC chieftain in Ebonyi State, Chief Abia Onyike, who reacted to Orji Uzor Kalu’s position, said that the former governor was in order.
Onyike, a former Commissioner for Information in Ebonyi, noted that the practice of following leaders about during campaigns is unnecessary.”
Leaders should be seen to be standing independently to speak to the people and engage them in important conversations, selling their manifestoes and programmes.
“The culture of moving about with rented crowds should be jettisoned. It does not add to the credibility of the leader. People should be original,’’ Onyike stressed.
A labour leader, Mr Leo Nkah, who also spoke on the issue, reiterated that politicians should concentrate in areas of sphere of influence.
He noted that presidential candidates, suffer disservice from those that claimed to be supporting them.
Nkah, former President, Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Ebonyi said most people following presidential candidates,` are indirectly dodging where the main work is to be done: their ward, local governments and states.
“ They want the president or governor as the case may be, to see their presence as support. This is erroneous,’’ Nkah asserted. (ENDS)
