By PERPETUA ONUEGBU

Labour Party on Saturday organised a debate for all the chairmanship aspirants for Abuja Municipal Area Council election scheduled for February 2026.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the debate, tagged: ‘My Manifesto’, had five aspirants speaking on their respective manifestos and how to tackle the major challenges facing the area council.

In his address, the Convener and LP Chairman in AMAC, Mr Ifeanyi Uzochukwu, said that the debate had become necessary in order to give the delegates the opportunity of identifying the most suitable among the chairmanship aspirants.

“If we want to change the narrative, we need those who are going to represent us to come to talk to us. Let them tell us what we can hold on to.

“As a party, this is the first point of screening for anybody who wants to contest any election before he can become a candidate. With this process, we will be able to produce the best of the best.

“With this, we can beat our chest and say that this person can represent us well in the larger society.

“That is why we have decided to provide this platform for the aspirants to talk to the delegates. It is not done in any other political party,” he said.

Uzochukwu said that with the debate, delegates would be able to know how conversant the aspirants were with the challenges confronting the council and how they intended to address them.

NAN reports that a civil society activist and Chief Panelist, Dr Peter Piper, drilled the aspirants on issues bordering on water management, water supply, education, security and road maintenance.

Piper also tasked the aspirants on how they intend to interface with local communities, making themselves accessible to the electorate after being elected and how they would address unemployment, if elected.

NAN reports that all the aspirants outlined their respective priorities and strategies of achieving them.

They all addressed issues pertaining to road infrastructure, education, health, water supply, waste management and traffic congestion within the council area.

NAN reports that the five aspirants were: Mr Kingsley Udoka (Wuse Ward), Mr Chilaka Sigmund (Garki Ward), Mrs Princess Awunor (City Centre Ward), Mr Vanish Agbon (Kabusa Ward), and Ifeanyichukwu Ajaegbu (Orozco Ward).

NAN also reports that aspirants would be presented before the delegates who are going to vote during the primaries, with the eventual winner contesting with their counterparts from other political parties in the February 2026 chairmanship elections.

In attendance were LP executives from all the 12 wards in the six area councils and other party faithful. (NAN)