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Tag: LP

  • Edo: Many LP members sold their votes, the election was a transaction- Akpata laments

    Edo: Many LP members sold their votes, the election was a transaction- Akpata laments

    The Labour Party guber candidate in Edo State, Olumide Akpata, has stated that his some of his party members sold their votes.

    He also faulted the outcome of the September 21 poll, saying it was marred by irregularities.

    Akpata stated this during an interview with a national TV station saying his legal team are compiling evidence and will determine whether or not to challenge the election result in court.

    “It is a decision that the Labour Party and I will have to take jointly whether or not we will challenge the outcome of the election,” he said.

    “I am going to be meeting with my lawyers, the Labour Party will also be meeting with its lawyers and then we will come to a decision whether or not we will be challenging the outcome of the election.

    “It is important for me to take a back seat and allow my lawyers based on the evidence that we have and the evidence that is still being collected to make the determination on my behalf.”

    Recall on Sunday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the keenly contested poll.

    Okpebholo raked in 291,667 votes to defeat the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Asue Ighodalo, who garnered 247,274 votes. Akpata came a distant third with 22,763 votes.

    But the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) faulted the process that produced Okpebholo as the governor-elect.

    He alleged without evidence that both the PDP and APC were involved in vote buying, adding that what transpired on September 21 was a transaction and not an election.

    According to Akpata, some LP members sold their votes.

    “I am not saying that we won the election. I am saying there was no election, there was a transaction. It is very difficult to say who would have won or lost.

    “300,000 votes by our estimation were bought by the two parties actively participating in that bazaar. That is enough to swing any election.

    Some stayed at home but a large number (of voters) came out and sold their votes. What happened was a tragedy. Members of my party sold their votes,” he added.

  • ‘I’m still in this race’ – LP candidate denies stepping down from Edo guber poll

    ‘I’m still in this race’ – LP candidate denies stepping down from Edo guber poll

    Labour Party candidate, Olumide Akpata has said he is still in the race ahead of the Sept. 21 Edo Governorship Election.

    Akpata stated this in Benin on Friday, while debunking a publication that he had stepped down from the governorship race.

    He said the publication was the handiwork of fraudulent politicians.

    He urged Edo people to disregard the publication, noting that: I AM STILL IN THIS RACE.

    ”I have been inundated with a flood of calls and messages from friends and supporters, which constrains me to release this statement to dispel the wicked rumour circulating that I have decided to step down and support the PDP candidate in tomorrow’s governorship election.

    “The notion that I would step down on the eve of the election, after the overwhelming support received from the good people of our state, borders on delusion.

    “This pathetic attempt at deception is so amateurish that the “Oluwole” forgers could not even get the date right, leaving “July 29, 2024″ on their fraudulent document.

    He urged journalists to report the facts accurately and diligently verity information before publication.

    He also vowed to fish out the architects of the forgery, “I will not rest until I uncover every individual involved in this criminal act.”

  • Anambra LP resolves to support Nenadi committee

    Anambra LP resolves to support Nenadi committee

    The Labour Party in Anambra State has expressed absolute support for the Senator Nenadi Usman-led national Caretaker committee set up to reposition the party.

    The Anambra chapter led by Peter Okoye in a 4-point resolution from its state executive committee meeting in Awka this afternoon “..commends and appreciates the efforts of our amiable and indefatigable leaders….,His Excellency Mr Peter Obi and the highest elected office holder of our party, H/E Dr Alex Otto, the Executive Governor of Abia State for their untiring efforts to reposition our party for greater achievement in the political landscape of Nigeria.

    ” Their efforts and that of other critical stakeholders including members of the National and State Assemblies elected under the platform of our great party which resulted in the extended stakeholders meeting of the party on September 4, 2024 at the Government House, Umuahia to salvage the party from its impending disintegration was a right step in the right direction…”

    The communique which was read by Comrade Jerry Nnubia, who is the Secretary of the State Transition Committee, “..heartily and joyfully congratulates the newly constituted 29 member National Caretaker Committee of the party under the chairmanship of Senator Esther Nenadi Usman…”

    The chapter while commending the choice of membership of the Caretaker team, expressed its confidence in their ability to do a good job in repositioning the party to win more elections in future, especially at the presidential level for the greater good of all Nigerians that are presently suffering under the APC controlled Federal Government.

    The party also vowed its full participation in the coming September 28, 2024 council poll in the state.

    LP noted that there was an initial mixup with names of her candidates as published by the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, but that it has been corrected accordingly when the party took it up with them.

    They urged the public, including ANSIEC to jettison and ignore any contrary statement from whatever source.

    Okoye who was flanked by other executive members in an interview with journalists shortly after the meeting pointed out that the party was anxiously looking up to the fast approaching 2025 governorship election in the state, and would use the Council poll as a test case of its popularity.

    “We intend to take over the Anambra State Government House next year, and nothing will stop up..”, he added.

  • INEC has no powers to deregister political parties – LP tells Usman

    INEC has no powers to deregister political parties – LP tells Usman

    The Labour Party (LP) on Tuesday said  the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lacked the powers to deregister any political party in the country.

    Mr Obiora Ifoh, National Secretary of the party made this known in a statement in Abuja.

    He said the attention of the party’s leadership had been drawn to a statement issued by Sen. Nenadi Usman, who he said was a PDP member regarding the intervention of INEC in the party’s affairs.

    He quoted Usman, an ex-minister of finance, as saying that the intervention of some leaders of the party at the September 4, 2024 at a  meeting in Umuahia saved the party from being deregistered by INEC.

    “The Labour Party leadership wishes to refute that statement as ludicrous and unsubstantiated .

    “We wish to state emphatically that the Labour Party is in a good shape at the moment, having fully abided by the laws of the land and therefore cannot be deregistered by INEC.

    “These leaders have also mischievously leveraged on INEC’s misinformed and erroneous disposition that the tenure of the party’s current executives has expired.

    “It is paradoxical that some of these leaders who were victims of INEC’s mismanagement of the 2023 general election are now the ones quoting INEC, in order to victimise the leadership of the Labour Party,” Ifoh said.

    He maintained that the September 4 Stakeholders meeting  was unconstitutional and illegal as the party’s constitution clearly stated all the organs of the party which have powers to organise such a meeting.

    “Sen. Nenadi’s claim that the stakeholders saved the party from being deregistered by the INEC is equally preposterous.

    “This is because the existence of the Labour Party is not under any threat. Perhaps, Nenadi Usman is not aware that Appeal Courts both in Edo and FCT have affirmed Julius Abure as the rightful National Chairman of the party.

    “She is probably unaware that a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice J.K Omotosho had also declared that the national convention of the party held in Nnewi on the March 26, 2024 is valid.

    ‘Even the Supreme Court in several judgements had ruled that issues regarding delegates at a National Convention or how the convention is planned and executed by a political party are internal affairs of a party.

    “We also contend that the allegations that the Labour Party did not meet the 21 days required notice to INEC to conduct the convention, has since been laid to rest by Justice Omotosho”, he said.

    Ifoh said the leadership of the party was aware of the moves to shop for courts in Abia that would be willing to facilitate the Umuahia group to carry out their activities.

    “We advise the stakeholders to stop dissipating energy in forum-shopping particularly with a court that lacks territorial jurisdiction.

    “It is laughable because, both INEC and Labour Party have their headquarters in Abuja and the stakeholders are shopping for a court in Aba, where they hope to get political patronage. We urge them to seek proper counsel.

    “Finally, we urge Senator Usman and her co-travellers to retrace their steps for the interest of the party and Nigerians as 2027 is fast approaching.

    “We want to remind them that factionalising the party will help no ones interest,” Ifoh said.

  • LP Crisis: Your tenure has expired, BoT sec. tells Abure

    LP Crisis: Your tenure has expired, BoT sec. tells Abure

    The Labour Party (LP) Caretaker Committee on Wednesday in Abuja urged Mr Julius Abure to stop parading himself as the national chairman of the party, saying his tenure expired on on June 9, 2024.

    Mr Salisu Mohammad, Secretary, Board of Trustees, of the party said this during a news conference organised by the leadership of Labour Party National Transitional Committee (NTC) in Abuja.

    He said the decision was reached at the Umuahia stakeholder meeting by the Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee which was lawful and legitimate.

    Mohammed said the NTC engaged and mobilised all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the party recovers itself from what it described as Abure’s illegality and corruption.

    He said Abure, since assumption of office as national chairman following the sudden death of the party National Chairman, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam in 2000, Abure had led the party without election.

    ‘In fact, INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) had asked him to vacate the chair meant for Chairman of Labour Party.

    “These interventions by the NTC have culminated in the meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party in Umuahia.

    “The National Transitional Committee (NTC) facilitated by the Nigerian Labour Congress as the Trustee of Labour Party fully accepts and commends the decision of NEC of Labour Party at its meeting on September 4, 2024.

    “We support the 29-man Caretaker Committee to prepare and conduct democratic congresses to elected party leadership at the Ward, LGA, State and National levels’’, he said.

    According him, the NEC organised by the Gov. Alex Otti of Abia  is the most welcome intervention needed to save the party from what he described as illegalities.

    “We believe that this intervention is in line with the expression of the democratic will of the millions of Nigerians.

    “Who does not want the party to die at the hands of political contractors who have been procured to destroy the party,” Mohammad said.

  • Just in: Court of Appeal again affirms Akpata as LP authentic guber candidate

    Just in: Court of Appeal again affirms Akpata as LP authentic guber candidate

    The Court of Appeal Abuja has affirmed Olumide Akpata as the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Edo State.

    In June, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja dismissed a suit seeking to void the nomination of Akpata as the LP candidate in the September 21 election.

    In the judgement, Justice Omotosho upheld the arguments by Akpata’s lawyer, Johnson Usman, (SAN) that the plaintiffs were without the legal right to institute the suit.

    Details Soon…

  • Abure rejects Umuahia LP meeting says it’s illegal

    Abure rejects Umuahia LP meeting says it’s illegal

    The National Chairman of Labour Party (LP),  Mr Julius Abure, has rejected the meeting of the party convened by Abia governor, Dr Alex Otti in Umuahia saying it is unconstitutional.

    Mr Obiora Ifoh made this known in a statement issued in Abuja  on Thursday.

    According to Abure, Otti and others who converged in Umuahia have no power within the party’s constitution, the Electoral Act or the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to convene any meeting.

    “Moreover, expanded stakeholders meeting is not an organ known to the constitution of the
    party. Article 11 of our Party Constitution 2024, 2019 and 2009 provides as follows for four levels of party organisations.

    “They are: ward, local government area, state and national.

    It also provides that: “The organisational structure at the state level shall also apply to the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, as if it were a state.

    “Similarly, Article 12 of the same constitution equally provides that the 12 principal organs of the party are National Convention, National Executive Council, National Working Committee, Board of Trustees and State Congress’’, he said.

    Other organs, he said, are State Executive Council, State Working Committee, Local Government Congress, Local Government Area Council, Local Government Area Working Committee and Ward Congress and Ward Executive Council.

    “Therefore the combined reading of the two provision shows clearly that the so called meeting in Umuahia is a charade, a waste of time and resources of Abia People.

    “The premise on which Governor Alex Otti called the meeting is not only faulty but mischievous.

    “Government business is not transacted verbally but through official communication and correspondences which are done in writing.

    “As we speak, there is no communication whatsoever from INEC to the Party as regards any objection to the conduct of the National Convention’’, he said.

    He challenged Otti to produce the official letter addressed to him from INEC on the subject matter, adding that there was no vacuum in the leadership of the party.

    He said the national chairman said the caretaker committee set up by the Otti was not known to the constitution of the party.

    “We are shocked to note that the so-called chairman of the caretaker committee is not a registered member of the party,” Abure said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the meeting convened by Otti produced Sen. Nenadi Usman as the chairman of the party’s caretaker committee.

    The meeting tasked the committee to rescue the party from its current leadership crisis.

    The committee has 90 days to complete its assignment, which includes organising a convention to elect new leadership from ward to the national level.

  • Olympics: Peter Obi expresses disappointment at Team Nigeria’s poor outing

    Olympics: Peter Obi expresses disappointment at Team Nigeria’s poor outing

    The presidential candidate of the  Labour Party, (LP) in the 2023 General Elections, Peter Obi has expressed disappointment in Team Nigeria over their poor outing at the Paris 2024 Olympic games.

    Despite fielding 88 athletes and numerous officials, Team Nigeria will be returning home without winning a single medal.

    Expressing his disappointment, Obi noted that the Team Nigeria’s lacklustre performance was a reflection of happenings in the Nigerian system.

    According to him, the N12bn spent on the team didn’t reflect in their performances at the competition.

    Obi made his displeasure with the team known on his official X handle.

    His Tweet reads “Now that the Paris Olympics 2024 has officially ended and our dear Team Nigeria, despite the huge financial investment made into the project, is returning without a single medal, let me unreservedly register my displeasure with the performance of our team and their handlers.

    “The rascality and recklessness that has continued to characterise leadership in our nation in nearly every department. The general impression that has come to stick is the one that portrays our country as a joke, even on the international stage.

    “At least nine African countries won gold but the giant with over 200 million people came home without even a bronze! We invested about N12 billion in this year’s Olympics, which is almost twice the amount budgeted for the entire Ministry of Science and Technology for this year.

    “We must now interrogate the relationship between this huge investment and our dismal outcome. Sad stories like this are our lot only because we have refused to embrace competence and capacity over routine and favouritism in Nigeria.

    “Let us consider the case of Favour Ofili, a Nigerian professional sprinter who trained for years for the 2024 Olympics, only for her name to be recklessly and wrongly removed from the list of athletes for the 100m race at the Olympics by Nigerian sporting authorities.

    “What explanation can anyone give about Annette Echikunwoke, a former Nigerian hammer thrower, who was frustrated by the same rascality of some Nigerian leaders, making her switch her allegiance to the United States, where she eventually won a medal in the just completed Olympics?” He noted.

    According to Obi, Team Nigeria should come back and restrategize ahead of the next competition.

  • Okonkwo: LP vows to expose more traitors as Obi insists, “he remains my trusted brother

    Okonkwo: LP vows to expose more traitors as Obi insists, “he remains my trusted brother

    The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has responded to a former Spokesperson of the party, Kenneth Okonkwo, over his criticism of Peter Obi’s leadership style.

    Okonkwo and Obi have since Sunday engaged each other in a war of words.

    Okonkwo on Sunday criticised the party’s presidential candidate in 2023 over his approach to party matters.

    Okonkwo, who joined the LP in 2022, accused Obi of failing to resolve the internal crisis rocking the party.

    According to the movie maker-turned-politician, Obi did not do enough to build the party and solve the party’s leadership crisis.

    However, despite the allegations against him, Obi on Monday, said Okonkwo remained a brother and an ally.

    Obi also urged LP’s faithful to ignore Okonkwo’s public rant.

    Wading into the trade of words between Obi and Okonkwo, a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said attacks on the former Anambra governor will not diminish the trust of Nigerians in him.

    “Kenneth Okonkwo’s resignation from the Labour Party didn’t come to us as a surprise. We also think that his attack on the party’s leader, Peter Obi is rather unfortunate however we will continue not to dignify him with any response as we understand that his attention-craving attitude knows no bounds.

    “If you recall, recently a former Director General of the party’s presidential campaign organisation resigned and rejoined the APC. Only last week, a former deputy Director General of the presidential campaign organisation also resigned and rejoined the APC. Today, it is the turn of Mr. Okonkwo, a former member of APC, who smuggled himself into the presidential campaign, and his destination is already known to us.

    “Needless to say Nigeria is not in want of political jesters and jobbers whose stomach are their gods. Labour Party is not perturbed by his decision to move on and in fact, we wish him well in his future endeavours, whether in acting, law practice, politics or otherwise.

    “We also wish to note here, that the party is aware of a few other persons who are planted as moles, who are presently instigating crisis within the party, and who have unsuccessfully attempted to hijack the party for the use of their paymasters. We urge them to act fast and do the needful before they are exposed and fumigated out of the party.

    “Labour Party is keeping to its decision to stand with Peter Obi as its leader and presidential hopefully come 2027 presidential election and we are not apologetical about that position. Coordinated attacks from some quarters will not in any way diminish the trust Nigerians, particularly, the Obidients and youths in Nigeria have in him. We know that with him, a new Nigeria will be possible. Nigerians spoke loudly in 2023 and they will speak even louder come 2027.”

  • Just in: Senator Onyewhuchi dumps LP for APC

    Just in: Senator Onyewhuchi dumps LP for APC

    Senator representing Imo East and a member of the Labour Party (LP), Ezenwa Onyewuchi,has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

     

    Onyewuchi’s defection letter was read on the floor of the Red chamber by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday.

    Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo and chair of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), was in the chamber when the letter was read.

    Details soon…