Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
Labour Party on Thursday called on its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, as a matter of urgency to halt further state rallies until there is clarification and accountability on how his campaign funds is being spent.
The party equally asked for immediate dissolution of the entire Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, claiming the composition does not reflect true Federal Character as enshrined in the constitution.
It says the North East, North Central, National Secretary and Deputy National Chairman South should all have avenues to perform their constitutional role openly effected in the Council even as the party passed a “vote of no confidence” on its National Chairman; Barr. Julius Abure and chief Clement Ojukwu; the National Organising Secretary, who also doubles as the General Secretary of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council.
The Ogun State chapter of the party arrived at the aforementioned decisions at the end its meeting at the LP state secretariat on Abiola Way, Abeokuta, the state capital where it further immediate withdrawal of a letter of authority allegedly giving to the National Chairman’s brother in – law; Barr. Nelson Adogah, saying it is an act of political brigandage, lawlessness, organised executive rascality and malfeasance against the constitution of Labour Party.
In a joint press briefing by Comrade Ashade Michael (State Chairman) and
Comrade Feyisola Michael (State Secretary), with party members and other state executives in attendance, they said they arrived at the decision following an alleged deliberate attempt
by Ojukwu and Abure to “Southernise” Labour Party and robbed it of a semblance of national outlook.
They lamented that membership of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council is heavily tilted to Southeast geopolitical zone while what was left for others had also been taken over by Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) defectors to LP, whom they described as “dissidents.”
They therefore demanded a meeting of National Executive Council be summoned immediately to avert political unrest in the LP, alleging that the party had been hijacked by PDP dissidents through Clement Ojukwu and Barr.Julius Abure.
While demanding immediate assigning of the National Publicity Secretary to his rightful position in the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council and the Labour Party constitution, they also warned that Ogun State Labour party is neither an extension of Edo and Anambra states respectively, nor does it belong to any cabal and anyone of South East extractions.
Accordingly, they gave the National Working Committee Seven days ultimatum to heed their demand to convene a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, threatening lawful options to seek redress if the demand was not met.
According to them, the Director General and Secretary General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council should be ceded to the North East and North Central since the Presidential candidate and National Chairman are both from the South geopolitical zone.
The text of their prepared speech reads in part, “We have situations where Ibo man was put as campaign co – ordinators in some northern state by Okupe and Ojukwu and the now entire list was populated with people of Southern extractions in an attempt to southernise LP against the Northern interest while also the National Secretary of our party Alh Umar Farouk was heavily discriminated against as his official position was ceded to Clement Ojukwu from Anambra while our South West Leader the Deputy National Chairman Alh Lamidi Apapa was excluded from the campaign list that was dominated by all Igbos and some PDP spent forces
“The first five names in the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council list were from the south and this are people controlling the affairs of labour party against the general wishes of the other members who work hard for the party before the invasion of LP by the foreign PDP dissident members
Of particular notes was the deliberate exclusion of our National Leader from Ogun State; Dr Arabambi Abayomi (National Publicity Secretary), who was the only member of the National Working Committee removed by the National Organizing Secretary; Chief Clement Ojukwu and Dr Doyin Okupe simply because he demanded the inclusion of the representatives of North East and North Central in the campaign council list which they are both desperate to cling on to revive their political and Financial careers.
“This action of excluding the National Publicity Secretary from performing his roles is not only a criminal infraction but completely unconstitutional which must be reversed immediately
“The presidential campaign council list was populated with PDP dissident members who have no means of livelihood but now using LP to revive it through the unconstitutional compromise of National Chairman and Ojukwu clement
“Most absurd was the recent attempt by National Chairman Barr. Julius Abure to illegally discontinue our Ogun State court relisting of candidates list by INEC currently ongoing in the federal high court and to take over all our legal matters from Ogun State Legal adviser Bar Mawah Monday through his brother in- law Lawyer from Benue state without recourse to the National Working committee (NWC), the National Executive Council (NEC) and the State Working committee of Ogun State.
“We have information he has been heavily compromised by a former Governor in Ogun State via inducement and we in Ogun LP says no to this executive rascality and malfeasance from any quarters.”
