Politics

LP Factions Clash Over Control Of Secretariat

Published

1 year ago

April 12, 2023

There appears to be no end in sight for the crisis bedeviling the Labour Party as supporters of the two factions laying claim to its leadership continue to engage each other in a war of words.

The dispute was taken a nudge higher when both factions continued their struggle for the control of the National Secretariat, situated in Utako, Abuja, on Wednesday.

It took the intervention of security operatives including private security guards engaged to secure the building to prevent a verbal altercation from developing into a free-for-all.

Supporters of the National Chairman, Comrade Julious Abure and members of the National Working Committee loyal to him, arrived the Secretariat for a meeting and possible screening of Governorship aspirants for Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi elections.

They barely settled down to business when the factional Acting National chairman, Lamidi Apapa arrived with his supporters in tow for the same exercise.

However, they were prevailed upon to step back following the intervention of security operatives.

Soon afterwards, a Spokesperson of Forum of LP state chairmen High Chief Rotimi Kehinde, who spoke to journalists after the encounter, explained that they came to conduct screening of governorship aspirants for Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo States but were denied entry into the secretariat.

Rotimi who is Chairman of Kwara State chapter of the party, who is an Abure loyalist said the Apapa -led faction that screened some aspirants on Tuesday, lacked the powers to perform the task.

Stating “I do not know how they manipulated one or two aspirants to come here yesterday (Tuesday).

“We wanted to hold a meeting and we discovered it was under lock and key. We met some DSS men and some vigilante groups…and they said they were told to lock the secretariat.

“In the course of discussing that, the illegal committee led by Apapa came around and were trying to engage us, and their thugs were almost attacking us.

“We resisted every temptation to cause commotion and crisis because we know the case is in court; anything in court you don’t discuss it and we don’t want to commit contempt of court.”

The spokesperson who further explained that the matter is already in court, expressed confidence that the court order would soon be vacated.

He said, “when you accuse someone of an offense, especially criminal offense, the person must be heard according to section 36 of the Nigerian constitution.

“In this case, you accuse four principal officers of the party of a very serious offense but they have not been heard by the court. The next thing we are hearing is they should stop parading themselves as officers of LP.

“We are party chairmen, a very integral part of NEC who have the final authority to rectify any decision taken by the party.

“We have not met and we told them, ‘go and wait for the court to decide,’ they don’t want to do that, they are taking laws into their hands.”

Chairman of Abia State chapter Keecee Igara, who also spoke on the issue accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of stoking crisis in LP.

Igara alleged that the two parties are using “suspended members of the party to come and destabilise the party.

“We are talking about taking back Nigeria, if we must take back Nigeria, we must stand on the truth. We must stand on equity and justice.”

Politics

JUST IN: Ex-PDP Deputy National Chair, Oyedokun Defects To APC

Published

13 mins ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, has resigned his membership of the party and announced defection to the All Progressives Congress.

Oyedokun, a notable personality within the political circle in Osun State and beyond, said he decided to dump the PDP after consultation with his loyalists.

He said he would be joining APC, where his experience, efforts, and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.

His resignation letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP through the ward, local government and state chairmen of the party obtained late Thursday further read, “As a functional member and leader of PDP (Ward 13, Jagun/ Osi-Bale Ode, Odo-Otin South Local Government, Osun State,) whose high electoral productivity and value have been credibly and positively acknowledged in my ward, across the local council, state and country-wide for the enhancement of the fortune of the PDP, I have the honour (though with pain) in announcing the renunciation of my membership of the party on principle, having observed that the ideals of we, founding members, had been sorely contaminated.

“In taking this step which is not even without due consultation with my teaming loyalists in the PDP, I have consequently decided to shift my allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) where I believe my experience, efforts and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.”

Oyedokun’s defection to the APC is coming at the time the aspirant he supported during the 2022 Osun governorship primary of PDP, Mr Dotun Babayemi is also moving to the national ruling party.

Osun APC said on Wednesday that Babayemi and his supporters would be dumping PDP and joining the party at a rally scheduled to be held in Osogbo on Friday.
PUNCH

Politics

Poll: APC Has No Sellable Candidate, Nothing To Campaign On – Edo Govt

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

The Edo State Government claimed on Monday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has no credible candidate for the September 21 governorship election.

This was an assertion made by the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, at a press conference in Benin City.

Nehikhare also alleged that the party is using lies and propaganda as its campaign strategy.

According to him: “The only APC strategy for the governorship election is to resort to lies and propaganda. When a party takes lies and propaganda as an election strategy, it means it has nothing to offer the people. The party lacks people with character, capacity, and intellect.”

The commissioner who took journalists through a screened shot WhatsApp chat said: “What we have here is the official APC WhatsApp platform, their own people screenshot their discussion. One of them who has a conscience asks, is this the only thing we have?”

Nehikhare, who said APC is ashamed to campaign for its candidate, noted that, as of today, nobody had heard of what the party has for the state.

“All we heard is how they are going to help their paymaster, lies and propaganda that will not help the state,” he added.

He opined that lies and propaganda are not strategies the opposition party, like APC, can use to win the September 21 governorship election.

The commissioner, who warned against misinformation and fake news ahead of the governorship election, urged media practitioners to be neutral in matters concerning lies and propaganda.

He, however, noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration has a lot of achievements to market and sell its candidate for the election.

Politics

Defection: Edo Govt, Ex-PDP BoT Member, Idahosa In Verbal War

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

Edo State government and a former member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Charles Idahosa, on Monday traded words over the latter defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Recall that Idahosa resigned
formally resigned who had last month resigned from PDP, rejoined the APC on Monday in Benin City.

Speaking during his formal presentation to the APC in Benin City, he noted that he left the party four years ago due to internal crisis.

Idahosa added that he dumped the PDP because of what he described as the “damning deeds of the Obaseki-led administration in the last four years”.

He took a swipe at Obaseki for saying that PDP would win the forthcoming September governorship election with 80 per cent of votes.

“I thank God, four years later we all are wiser now. Like the Secretary said, I was a founding member of ACD, ACN and APC. The damage we did four years ago, the APC never remained the same.

“But I am glad we are back to the family. I was nominated to the Board of the Railway when I was in the APC. When I moved to the PDP, I wrote to resign my membership but it was rejected and showed my wide acceptance.

“At 71, I am not here to contest position with anybody, I am here to work. I want to urge APC to keep their eyes on the ball. It is not over until it is over.”

While lambasting Governor Obaseki for his comment that those leaving PDP have been given money, he noted that his greatest regret was not allowing the governor to resign after his first four years in office.

“When he came to beg me like a weather beaten chicken, how much did he give to me? Anytime he goes religious gathering he would say those leaving PDP have been given money.

“He came to me three times in my house to say he wants to resign, that he was tired of being governor but I appealed to him, telling him it was not about him but Benin interest.”

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare alleged that Idahosa was never a PDP member.

Nehikhare noted that Idahosa was also never a BOT member of the party, because the party in the state rejected his nomination.

He alleged that it was as a result of the rejection that he found his way back to APC.

“I heard that he claimed to be a member of BOT of PDP but I want to challenge him to tell us when he was sworn in as a member of PDP BOT. He was not a fit and proper person. Even though he was nominated he was shunned by the party.

“It was this that drove him back to APC which he never left in the first place. He was holding on to the board appointment which was offered him while in APC prior to 2020 governorship election.

“He has reached the end of his political career. He has nothing to offer any political party or any group he joins because he believes in bread and butter politics,” Nehikhare said.