Leadership crisis: Confusion as Ogun LP, NWC bicker over expulsion of excos

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Leadership crisis: Confusion as Ogun LP, NWC bicker over expulsion of excos

The crisis in the Labour Party, LP, in Ogun State, on Friday, worsened as it recommended the expulsion of eight executive members of the party including its former Acting National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, the State Chairman, Michael Ashade and six others over alleged anti-party activities.

But the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, led by the Deputy National Chairman of the party (South) Lamidi Apapa has reversed the suspension of the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Abayomi Arabambi and its National Youth Leader, Eragbe Anslem.

Why we suspended party excos

The LP, in a statement by the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Tokunbo Peters, the party stated that the recommendation was due to various alleged anti-party activities carried out by the affected executive members of the party.

Peters said the recommendation has been communicated formally to the National Secretariat of the Party last week.

He said Arabambi and Ashade were recently suspended by their Wards and Local Government areas executive members in the State and were later recommended for expulsion from the Party by the State Exco of the party.

Others recommended for expulsion included former State Secretary, State Organising Secretary, State Auditor and State Financial Secretary, Feyisayo Michael, Tosin Meadows, Seun Ogunyemi and Lizzy Oliseh-Samuel respectively.

The statement reads: Their suspension and recommendation for expulsion which was communicated formally to the National Secretariat of the Party last week was premised on various anti party activities engaged in by Messers Abayomi Arabambi, Michael Ashade and their cohorts to destabilise, factionalise and bring the Party into disrepute acting as sponsored Agents of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

“The suspension and recommendation for expulsion of Mr Arabambi, Ashade and their cohorts was made known today in a statement released in Abeokuta by Tokunbo Peters, Publicity Secretary of the party in Ogun state.

“The statement further disclosed that before their eventual suspension, several warnings and cautions were given to make them to refrain from their anti party activities, especially through a peace and reconciliatory meeting which was mediated by a frontline Elder statesman.

“But rather than turn a new leaf, Arabambi and his cohorts became more recalcitrant and belligerent to satisfy their paymasters in the ruling APC.

“The party under the able leadership of both Peter Obi and Julius Abure, Presidential Candidate and National Chairman respectively, is now firmly in the grips of committed professionals and conscious youths, who have now repositioned the party as a formidable force in Nigeria and therefore can now favourably compete for all elective political offices in the country.

“The party admonished the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Ogun state to desist from relating with Michael Ashade and his cohorts, as they no longer hold any executive positions in Labour Party.”

Caretaker exco in Ogun invalid—Ashade

When contacted for response, Ashade described the caretaker exco in the state as invalid adding that his faction wouid initiate criminal charges against the other faction.

He said: “Who are the people that suspended us? Whenever they are suspending, they would show their faces. When they said they were suspending the national chairman, were they hiding their faces? We saw their faces, they held a meeting.

“So, this one that they said they suspended, where did they meet? They can’t come and said they have suspended.

“He does not have the right .He has been expelled from the party.

“Someone that does not exist cannot stand on something, very soon, we will take it up in court and we will see to it that he is criminally prosecuted.

“It’s not just for anti-party, he will be criminally prosecuted, so, all these, he’s standing on nothing, I don’t know where this is coming from, I’m just hearing you telling me now.

“So, if anybody said they gathered to conclude on the suspension, where did they gather?

“These ones are afterthought, because of the fact that of the incident of the last two days, they’re trying to see what they can do to become leader, because they know their time is up.

“We have not been removed, we still maintain our position, the party is still in our control.”

LP reverses suspension of National Publicity Secretary, Youth Leader

Meanwhile

Also, party’s NWC, yesterday, reversed the suspension of the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Abayomi Arabambi and its National Youth Leader, Eragbe Anslem

The party also reinstated the elected Executive Council members from Ogun, Rivers as well as Gombe States, and subsequently dissolved the Engr. Jagun Lukman led Caretaker committee in Ogun State

These decisions took place during the NWC emergency meeting of the party, held in Abuja on Thursday, with Chief Lamidi Apapa presiding as the acting National Chairman of the party following an Abuja Court ruling that restrained Julius Abure and three others from parading themselves as national officers of the party.

Apapa emerged as the acting National Chairman of the party while Saleh Lawan is the acting National Secretary.

According to Apapa, Abure and the three others must vacate the order of the Federal High Court restraining them before further action can be taken on the leadership of the party.

In a statement by Abayomi Arabambi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, said “apart from the reversal of the illegal suspension and the immediate reinstatement of the democratically elected Ogun states Executives Council members, the National Working Committee, also lifts the suspension and reinstatement of other states Executives Council members of Rivers State and Gombe States.

“NWC also directed the dissolution of Lagos State Caretaker Executive Committee and suspended the planned Lagos State Congresses with immediate effect.”