By Eshioromeh Sebastian
The Senator Nenade Usman led Labour Party has declared that its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election is more qualified than President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mr Peter Obi, and others, saying its flagbearer stands out among the pack.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ken Eluma Asogwa, stated this during an appearance on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, monitored by Spear News Nigeria, where he also addressed the party’s membership dispute and its stance on Peter Obi’s presidential ambition.
Asogwa was invited to speak on a statement he issued on Monday, in which he refuted the membership of the factional National Vice Chairman of the party, Abayomi Arabambi. He dismissed claims that the party was working for Obi’s candidacy.
His statement followed three separate suits filed by Arabambi seeking an order directing the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to release Peter Obi’s academic documents.
Asogwa said the Labour Party already has a presidential candidate, naming him as Dr Chibuzo Sonde Okereke, whom he described as a brilliant Nigerian.
“He is young, and he is quite educated. Among the pack, there is none that is as educated as he is. He has a PhD in leadership and governance,” he said.
“So we have someone whom we are putting on our presidential campaign team to go out and market him to the Nigerian people. So, in answer to your question, we are not strictly supporting Peter Obi, if that is what people are trying to read from the press statements.”
He added that the party is not dealing with the merits of the case that “the man has taken to court.”
On the membership dispute and
Asogwa said the second-highest decision-making body of the Labour Party suspended a member from the party, and that the suspension, along with those of a number of other people, was ratified by the National Convention on the 28th of April.
He explained that the National Convention is the highest decision-making body of any political party, and clarified that what was initially a suspension became an expulsion upon ratification.
“So it was the ratification on the 28th of April that made it an expulsion. He was expelled on the 28th of April. Therefore, he is not a member of the Labour Party,” he said.
“So if he (Arabambi) sits in the comfort of his room and says he is a member of the Labour Party, I am here to tell you that he is not a member of the Labour Party.”
Asogwa added that almost every political party carried out online registration as required by the new Electoral Act and submitted it to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), noting that the register is a public document accessible to all Nigerians.
“His name is not there as a member of the Labour Party. If he says his name is there, he should make it available for Nigerians to see. So he did not register in that online registration. Therefore, he is not a member of the Labour Party as we speak today,” he said.
On why Nigerians should believe the party
Asked why Nigerians should believe the party’s version of events rather than the other party’s, Asogwa said the Labour Party is the authentic leadership of the party, “as the courts have spoken.”
He said he was speaking in clear obedience to those court judgments, adding that the current dispute is not a leadership issue but simply about somebody claiming to be a member of the party.
“We are not talking about Abure. It would have been a different matter if it were Abure we were discussing here. Abure has already gone into extinction because the courts have said that he is not an authentic leader of the Labour Party,” he said.
“And in obedience to that, he has toned down. But the man who is making noise, for me, is just a rabble-rouser.”
On whether the party is considering legal action, Asogwa said yes, adding that there are probable cases of impersonation here and there. He advised the party to take the next action.
Discussion about this post