Labour Party, Sacks National Publicity Secretary; Dissolves Ogun State Chapter Exco

By Akinwale Kasali

The crisis rocking the Labour Party, LP, has continued to escalate with few months to the 2023 General Elections.

The leadership of the Party has announced the sack of Abayomi Arabambi, as the Party’s Acting National Publicity Secretary and also dissolved the Ogun State Executives of the Party.

It was gathered that the reason behind the decision of the Party’s National Working Committee to terminate the appointment of Arabambi, and dissolve the Ogun chapter of the party was because of the role they played in the alleged expulsion of the Director General of Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Doyin Okupe.

Both men had accused both Okupe and the National Chairman of the Party of monumental fraud, without any documented proof.

An emergency meeting was held in Abuja by the NWC, after which  the National Secretary, Umar Farouk, announced the dissolution of the Ogun State Exco and Arabambi sack.

According to him, the party can no longer condone such anti-party activities among its rank and file.

He said, “The Acting National Publicity Secretary has been relieved of his appointment by the National Working Committee. A disciplinary committee has also been constituted to investigate his anti-party activities as a member of the Labour Party.

“The Ogun State Chapter of the party has also been dissolved and the chairman and its exco suspended. A caretaker will be appointed to take care for the party’s activities in the state. They will also be investigated by the disciplinary committee for anti-party activities.

“The NWC has also unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the National Chairman, Julius Abure. Consequently, we call on the party members to adhere strictly to the provision of the Constitution and Code of Conduct of the party. We also call on the general public to have more confidence in the party as the leadership of the party is working very hard to ensure that we are not distracted. The bad elements and the Judas among us will be fished out gradually and punished in accordance with the Constitution of the party.

“We also call on Nigerians to disregard any negative information spread by some miscreants as the party’s loyalists, whereas we have found out they are acting out the script of our opposition.”

It would be recalled that the Ogun State Chapter of the Party had announced the expulsion of Okupe last week without notifying the NWC and the leadership of the Party, which was debunked.

Okupe and 11 members of the party were removed by the leadership of the Ogun State chapter of LP over alleged “non-financial membership status, political rascality and misappropriation of funds.”

The affected members were deputy State Chairman II East, Jagun Lookman; state Women Leader, Oluwabukola Soyoye, ex-state Treasurer, Gbadebo Fesomade; state Publicity Secretary, Jide Amusan; state Youth Leader, Abdulmalik Olaleye; Assistant State Youth Leader, Adeshina Shojobi; Senatorial Women Leader Ogun East, Deborah Adewale; Assistant State Secretary, Olatunde Abolade, Abel Olaleye and Abayomi Collins.

The Party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, said having  reviewed all the corruption allegations levelled against him and found him not culpable, Obi’s DG sacking is “fake news.”