A faction of the Labour Party (LP) led by Lamidi Bashir Apapa has announced pardon for the party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, his running mate, Yusuf Datti-Ahmed, and other top leaders of the party for attending a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Asaba, Delta State, convened by the embattled chairman, Julius Abure.
Those pardoned alongside Obi are Prince
Kennedy Ahanotu, Mrs. Ladi Illiya, Dr. Ayo Olorunfemi, Chief Innocent Okeke
Agumba, Mrs. Dudu Manuga Datti-Ahmed and Abia State governor-elect, Mr Alex
Otti.
The decsion to pardon them was taken at the
faction’s NEC meeting in Bauchi yesterday.
The LP leaders at the meeting appealed to the
judiciary to be on the part of the people by promoting acts that enhance
democracy, rule of law, and fundamental human rights.
The LP faction said it believed in she rule
of law, and would continue to stand with its presidential candidate, Peter Obi,
to successfully reclaim its stolen mandate at the presidential election
petitions tribunal, adding that it would not be a party to any unlawful act to
cause a change of democratic administration as anticipated by its ‘uspended’
national chairman, Julius Abure, and his cohorts.
The Labour Party faction, in a communique
after the Bauchi meeting, said it rejected the attempted conversion of the
party to a one-man show or regional political party by the suspended national.
The meeting sympathised with Nigerians who,
the party noted, had continued to wallow in poverty, hunger, unemployment,
insecurity, poor infrastructure and underdevelopment inflicted by leadership
incompetence.
It reassured Nigerians that the imminent
Labour Party-led federal government, when in place after the presidential
election petition tribunal mandate recovery, shall change these ugly narratives
for the best.
The meeting reviewed the alleged anti-party
activities of some members and reaffirmed and upheld the decision of the Ogun
state executive of Labour Party that earlier expelled Mr. Kehinde Shogunle,
Engr. Akinpelu Shogunle, Engr. Lukmon Jagun Abiodun, Mr. Tokunbo Peters, and
Bukola Shoyooye.
Also expelled by Ogun Exco are Barr.
Oluwafemi Ibiayo, Feson Gbadebo, Dayo Folarin, Adeshina Shojobi, Bamjoko
Ajekpe, Tuned Taiwo, Olatunde Abolade, Abosede Lamidi, Malik Olaleye, Adesegun
Banmodu, Rev. Olufolabi Adebayo, over their failure to pay memberships dues for
over six months thus contravening Articles 9 (3) of LP constitution 2019 as
amended and thus forfeited their membership.
The Bauchi NEC meeting similarly suspended
some National Working Committee (NWC) members over their contempt of the FCT
High Court restraining order by participating the illegal NEC meeting convened
by Abure on 18th April, 2023 in Asaba Delta State and recommended them for
disciplinary committees on fraudulent and anti-party activities over the
illegal governorship primaries in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states conducted on
15th April, 2023.
The Labour Party NEC meeting evaluated the
2023 elections with a belief for room for improvement over the irregularities
and network glitches noticed during presidential and national elections over
the states’ elections in the 2023 general elections.
The meeting of the party was attended by
members of the national working committee (NWC), State Chairmen, State
Secretaries, National Assembly members-elect, Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Unions Congress
(TUC).
The Labour Party (LP) has described as null
and void the purported national executive council meeting of the party held in
Asaba Delta State on 18th April, 2023, saying the meeting was inconsistent with
the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court Order restraining the suspended
national chairman, Julius Abure from parading himself in that capacity.
Describing the Asaba meeting as illegal is
the Acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Lamidi Bashiru Apapa at the
NEC meeting of the party in Bauchi Wednesday where he said that other national
officers were also barred from parading themselves with the party.
They were the national secretary, Alhaji Umar
Farouk Ibrahim; national organizing secretary, Ojukwu Clement and the national
treasurer, Mrs. Oluchi Opara whom the Nigeria Police Investigation and Forensic
Audit report of the petition instituted by the Ebonyi state gubernatorial candidate
Oko Eze saw to the indictment of the four officers.
The four national officers were indicted of
forgery, perjury and criminal conspiracy with financial malfeasance to the sum
of N400, 000, 000 for which a CTC of the investigation report was obtained that
the FCT High Court has on 5th April, 2023 subsequently restrained them from
parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Apapa had earlier recalled that on 2nd April,
2023, the NWC ratified Barrister Julius Abure’s suspension following his ward
executives ‘suspension from the party in the case of criminal infractions
against him.
He said members of the party’s NWC are
expected to present their working programmes for adoption in line with the
policy trust and direction of the party for implementation.
The acting national chairman said: “NEC
meeting is aimed at deliberating on critical issues of national importance; and
to drawing far reaching resolutions that shall nib in the bud, certain
disturbing issues that have become of immense concerns to us as political
party, to put our dear party on the path of political stability, peace,
progress and prosperity.
He said, “That the FCT High Court
subsequently restrained Julius Abure, the national Secretary, Alh Umar Farouk
Ibrahim, Ojukwu Clement, national organising secretary and Mrs Oluchi Okpara
National Treasurer from parading themselves as national officers of the Labour
Party on 5th April, 2023 and sequel to an earlier ward Exco suspension of
Julius Abure on 31st March, 2023.
“That on 1st April, 2023, the NWC received
the report of the ward Exco Suspension of Barr Julius Abure as member of the
party due to so many infractions against him with particular reference to the
FCID police Investigation Indictment by the Edo state ward and the NWC
deliberated, ratified and adopted the ward exco suspension on 2nd April, 2023
by appointing an acting national chairman Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa.”
إرسال تعليق