Crisis rocking Ogun State chapter of Labour Party (LP) worsened on Friday as factional leaders in the state suspended the acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr. Abayomi Arabambi, the State Chairman and Secretary of the party, Mr Michael Ashade, and Mr Michael Feyisola.
This is coming less than 24 hours after Ashade and Feyisola sacked former Presidential aide, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who is the Director – General of Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Council(PCC) and 10 others as members of LP over infractions on the party constitution.
The state chairman, the secretary and Arabambi were suspended on Friday from the party for alleged gross-misconduct and anti-party activities.
Briefing reporters in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, factional leaders; Chief Lookman Jagun, the Deputy State Chairman and Ogun East Senatorial Leader of the party, said the decision was reached at the end of an emergency leadership and stakeholders’ meeting.
Jagun who was supported by Chief Ope Ijaola, Deputy Chairman and Ogun Central Senatorial Leader, Alhaji Taofeek Oloyede, Acting Ogun West Senatorial Leader, Olori Bukola Soyeye, Women Leader and Gbadebo Fesomade, State Treasurer, re-affirmed the membership of Dr. Doyin Okupe.
Jagun noted that the state leaders of the party had recommended that the National leadership of the party should set up a disciplinary panel to investigate the activities of the suspended members, and as well replace Arabambi as the Acting National Publicity Secretary.
The statement read, “we, leaders and stakeholders of Labour Party in Ogun State have suspended the membership of Mr. Michael Ashade, State Chairman, Mr Michael Feyisola, State Secretary, Mr Abayomi Olufemi Arabambi, Acting National Publicity Secretary from the Labour Party for gross misconduct and anti party activities.
“The party decided to axe these officers for various offences bothering on connivance with other parties, especially the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC government in the State to thwart the aspirations of Labour Party candidates in Ogun State as well as their various gross public misconducts and anti party activities.
“The National Secretariat of the Party, under the leadership of Comrade (Barr) Julius Abure through the National Secretary, Mallam Farouk Ibrahim on Tuesday handed a major query and caution to the Acting National Publicity Secretary, Mr Arabambi Abayomi for his public misconduct and incitement of a faction of the State Executives led by Michael Ashade and Michael Feyisola against the National leadership of Labour Party and its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).”
He added that Ashade, the ‘former’ State Chairman was on Monday recalled from the State Exco alongside other Executive Members, who hailed from the Ogun West Senatorial District by leaders and stakeholders of the party from the Senatorial district for incompetence,
thuggery and public misconduct capable of bringing the popularity of the party into disrepute in the handling of the legal matters of Labour Party candidates in the State over the listing of Ogun State Candidates for 2023 elections by INEC.
“We consider their recent vituperation and interventions as scenes from their theatre of the absurd and their last dance of the macabre by making such insensitive, uncouth and
laughable announcements on severely faulted and faultable premises.
“We dissociate ourselves and condemn its utterances and import in its entirety and declare it undemocratic, unreasonable, capable of threatening the peace and the democratic space of the country and of no substance and effect whatsoever.
“We hereby reaffirm and pass a vote of confidence on the Director General of the Obi Datti Campaign Organisation Dr. Doyin Okupe as well as the 11 notable members of the Party that are purportedly expunged which include Hon. Abayomi Collins, Hon. Abel Olaleye, Chief Jagun Lookman, Olori Oluwabukola Soyoye, Mr. Gbadebo Fesomade, (State Treasurer) and Mr. Abdulmalik
Olaleye (State Youth Leader). Others are Mr. Jide Amusan (State Publicity Secretary) Mr. Adeshina Wasiu Shojobi (Asst State Youth Leader), Miss Deborah Adewale, (Senatorial Women Leader Ogun East)and Mr. Olatunde Abolade (Asst State Secretary).
“The Party, therefore, has directed both Ashade and Feyisola, Former State Chairman and Secretary respectively and their cohorts to immediately hand over all party valuables and documents in their possession and make themselves available to a disciplinary panel that
is recommended to be set by the National Party Leadership on the National and International embarrassment being caused to the party.
“We also strongly recommend to the National Party leadership, the immediate replacement of Mr Arabambi Abayomi as the Acting National Publicity Secretary to save the party of further embarrassment and crisis.
“The party leadership in the State requests the National Leadership of the Labour Party to immediately direct Arabambi to hand over and hand off all matters in court on the listing of Labour Party candidates names for the 2023 elections to prevent electoral failure of the party in Ogun State as there are strong evidences that he and others in the State Exco are working in cahoot with the ruling APC government in Ogun State to frustrate and thwart the effort of the leadership of the Labour Party to have INEC list formidable candidates in Ogun State.”
Making clarification on those who paid membership dues, the State Treasurer of the party, Mr. Fesomade, said the trio of Arabambi, Ashade and Feyisola did not also pay membership dues since the beginning of the year, saying that it was Okupe that was funding the party in the State.
