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CHEKWAS OKORIE EMERGES UPP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

The United Progressive Party National Chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie has emerged as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2015 general election.

Chief Okorie named the Party’s National Secretary, Barr Bello Umar as his running mate.

The UPP national convention and presidential primary took place at Binez Hotel Aba, Abia State on Friday 11^th December 2014, where 72 delegates were accredited to elect the party’s presidential candidate. Sixty-seven delegates voted in favor of Chief Okorie who was the sole aspirant for the presidential ticket.

Chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, Chief Ogbuehi Dike declared Chief Okorie as the winner of the primary election stating that he satisfied the party’s electoral guidelines, the Electoral Act and 1999 Constitution as amended. The convention and primary election were monitored by a delegation of the Independent National Electoral Commission led by Professor Jacobs Jatau, the Abia State Resident Electoral Commissioner. Others are Charles Mbanaja, A.K. Atoki, Dire Innocent and Emelda.

In his acceptance speech, Chief Okorie said the nation is facing serious political, economic and social challenges stressing that the journey to rescue Nigerians is the journey of the tiger, the party’s symbol. Referring to PDP and APC, he said the mission to rescue the nation could not be done in the comfort of the umbrella or broom but by the courage of a tiger.

He introduced his running mate, Barr Bello Umar from Zamfara State saying the duo would fly the party’s flag to every nook and cranny of the nation and would not be afraid to go to Sambisa forest in Borno State, where the abducted Chibok girls were held in captivity in April 2014 and yet to be released.

Chief Okorie said the party’s presidential campaign would kick off in Owerri, Imo State capital and served PDP quit notice in the South East over its poor performance since 1999 especially in Abia State, his home state.

He handed the party’s flag to Dr Osmond Imo Ukanacho, UPP governorship candidate in Imo State, Dr Chris Akomas, Abia State governorship candidate and Hajia Binta Gwazo, Kano State gubernatorial candidate. He said other candidates would be given the party’s flag in the course of the campaign.

Okorie said UPP is gender sensitive and exempted women from paying nomination fees. He promised to provide employment to youths if elected president in 2015.

He pledged to fight corruption head-on describing the party and its officials as clean, decent and corruption-free.

Chief Okorie said his emergence has changed the political equation in Nigeria, adding that either the party won the presidency or the party that won would not form government without UPP as a critical factor.

He asked party faithful if they were happy with their condition under the present leadership of the country and urged them to vote for change.

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