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Tag: Labour Party

  • ‘Those jumping from one party to another are butterfly politicians’

    Labour leader and General Secretary of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, Comrade Isa Aremu has said that those decamping from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) were butterfly politicians pursuing their personal ambition rather than the interest of the Nigerian people.

    Aremu who formally declared his interest to contest the governorship seat in Kwara State on the platform of the Labour Party said that the statement by the Senate President that he was not given any juicy appointment out of the over 200 given by the federal government as one of the reasons for leaving the APC is a clear indication that he was pursuing personal interest.

    Read Also:Defections: Politicians taking Nigerians for a ride -Okotie-Eboh

    He said those politicians crossing from one party to the other lack the required political ideology to be referred to as politicians, pointing out that during the second republic, politicians could not decamp from one party to the other without being ostracized.

    He said what Kwara State need was not just electoral victory, but liberation, adding that despite being one of the oldest states in the country today, the stage has nothing to show and could not even successfully celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017 when other states like Kano, Lagos and Rivers did same with fanfare.

    He said: “We will not be butterfly politicians, but politicians in the real sense of it. We are not going to be moonlight politicians who move from one place to the other. My idea is to transform Kwara.

    “I read Senator Saraki’s statement and one of the reasons he gave foe decamping was that the federal government gave 200 juicy appointments during this dispensation he said the government gave Katsina, Lagos and others, but never gave him. He spoke about himself and not Kwara.

    “You said the government gave Katsina and that is Katsina even though you might say it is nepotism, but he said he was not given and not the state. The constitution says anybody in office should talk about welfare and security of the people. We will promote personal ethics and dignity of Labour.

    “We have watched the decampment of the big political actors in Kwara State to the PDP. They have a right to that Democratic decision in choosing what they want to do. But what is worrisome to me is the ease with which politicians have become so insensitive to the plight of others.

    “First, you left a party. With all the challenges, some people sat down there to build the party when you moved on to another party. All of a sudden, you have returned to edge them out.

    “If you can do that within a party that gives you an idea of how they run the polity. I am making a pronouncement here that under us, we will be real politicians in the line of the politicians of old, politicians who had principles.

    “What is important is that there was once a Nigeria where moving from one party to the other was a shame. You could not have left NPN and Move to UPN because that was a period of ideas.

    “NPN stood for building houses and they were actually building those houses whether the opposition loved it or not. UPN stood for free education for all. PRP stood for redemption of the poor and they did that. The late Waziri Ibrahim stood for what he called politics without bitterness and he stood by it. I am sure he will be alarmed in his grave now to realize that where he comes from is now a theatre of war and violence.

    “We are coming out of that angle where we will never violate the rights of our people and Labour Party is the only way to go. The Labour Party is the only party that carry human beings in its logo. People should be at the Centre of democracy and the end of development.”

    Speaking on while he was joining the governorship race, Aremu said “My state needs liberation, not just electoral victory because we are disappearing from the map. Our state was created in 1967by Gen. Yakubu Gowon and was Infact the first to be created. There are about four of the, now that still retain their identity. Lagos state, Rivers, Kano and Kwara states.

    “Last year, Kwara state was fifty years old. Lagos state celebrated with fanfare with Governor Ambrose lunching signature projects. Rivers state also celebrated in a big way, the same thing with Kano state. But my state which used to be the gateway to the north and south marked that anniversary as if they were celebrating funeral.

    “This is a state where the political leaders celebrate wedding of their children for almost two months. In sha allahu, under us, we will celebrate state hood every year with Kwara day and bring back the sisterhood of the old state which include Kogi and Niger.

    “I was a member of the national conference; Kwara is the only state without any document in terms of its vision for the state and the country. Other states did that. Under my leadership, there will be voice for Kwara. We will return development back to our people. We will return commonwealth back to our people.

    “It does not make sense that you take stage resources to service few Zimbabwean farmers who produce products that are not available on our menu. Kwara resources will be for Kwara farmers so that they can feed all of us very well. We will stop the elitist projects.

    “How can you be talking of building an aviation college when your people cannot move on the road? Even at that, i5 is cheaper for our children to go and study in South Africa than to go to that aviation college. You don’t fly on the air when your people are using meme NAPEP and Okada.

    “By the grace of God, Kwara under our leadership will be part of the unity of Nigeria. It will not be part of the obstacle to development. We will redefine politics, not in terms of juicy appointments.”

  • ‘LP not part of pro-PDP coalition’

    The Labour Party (LP) has distanced itself from the coalition of political parties that came together to oust the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    National Chairman Mike Onotosho told reporters yesterday that the leadership of the party was neither consulted nor been part of any formal meeting or agreement between the party and any other political party.

    “The Labour Party is not only a political party but a political movement, guided by its ethics, values, principles and social ideology, where all actions are taken in consideration of due process.

    “If there was any need for the party to join any coalition, the consent and the approval of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Council (NEC) would have been sought before such decision is taken.

    “It is an undisputable fact that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its allies, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the civil society, are the owners of the Party.

    “Such a vital decision to join a coalition cannot be effected without the approvals of their respective governmental organs.

    “As it stands now, the NWC, NEC, nor NLC are aware or privy to this crocket coalition engagement, ’’he said.

    Hecalled on Nigerians to disregard all allusions to the inclusion of the Labour Party and those of the NLC & TUC, as members of any collation.

    Omotosho added that the commitment of the Labour Party to the coalition is therefore the fiery imaginations and fictions of a few recalcitrant members.

    According to him, this borne out of their hurriedness to mortgage the Party for their selfish political end.

    “We hereby dissociate our great party, the Labour Party, from such a gathering, calculated to further throw the political atmosphere of Nigeria into more heinous confusion,” he said.

    He said as the nation prepares for the upcoming general elections, the Labour party was consulting with party stakeholders, mobilising its members and preparing their candidates for elective offices.

    Omotosho also explained that the party was not averse to partnering with like-minded groups and parties seeking to help transform the nation.

    He said that at the moment the party was more concerned about challenging the current administration to deliver more on their promises.

    He said the party was committed to challenging the ruling APC to deliver more for the Nigerian workers, most of whom still struggle to eke a living from their wages and salaries.

  • Mimiko’s return rekindles our hope, confidence – LP National Chairman 

    The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, has said the return of Former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, to the party would add greater value.

    Abdulsalam, in his speech at the event marking Mimiko’s official return, said the Labour Party is elated that a social democrat like Mimiko, who through his sterling performances as Governor mainstreamed pro-people and pro-poor policies, programmes and projects, is returning to add value to the party.

    He said “His people’s oriented programmes in health, education, housing, rural development, urban renewal, youth and women empowerment attest to the value inherent in his return to the party. In him, we have an example of what power could be used to achieve on the side of the people”

    Abdulsalam further stated that “our hope and confidence is rekindled by his (Mimiko’s) return to the party to be part of the renaissance of the party and Nigeria. I assure him of our support and commitment at all times.”

    The Labour party chairman also addressed the issue of political power which he said should not be an end but a vehicle for the transformation of the country and that the party is positioned to ensure national cohesion, peace, security, stability and prosperity for all.

    Meanwhile, Mimiko has said his return to the Labour Party was based on the conviction that the party offers Nigerians a better platform for a truly ideologically driven alternative to reposition Nigeria.

    Mimiko, who was speaking while addressing the crowd gathered at his official return to the Labour Party, in Ondo town, on Thursday, said the decision to leave the LP in 2014 was not borne out of any disagreement with LP, either ideologically or operationally, neither was there any personal gain in focus in moving over to PDP at that time.

    “It is our hope moving forward, that working within LP, and hand-in-hand with other Nigerians of like minds, we would begin to sharpen the ideological divide in Nigerian politics, with a view to mainstreaming the welfare and interest of the mass of our people.” He added

    “Our formation considers it perhaps more important to have a platform with which we can begin to sensitize the Nigerian people to the requisite ideological clarity without which governance in the country will continue to operate at the mundane level – serving only the interest of the few, while marginalizing that of the many.” the former Governor said.

    He also stated his conviction that the LP would provide Nigerians with real alternatives and help the electorate in making informed decisions as to which individual or platform to invest with power; and how to hold such to account at all times.

  • Why I returned to Labour Party, by Mimiko

    Former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko yesterday dumped the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Labour Party (LP) at an event witnessed by a huge crowd from the 18 local government areas of the state.

    He earlier collected the LP’s card at his Ward 7 in Ondo West Local Government Area before he drove in a long motorcade through major streets of Ondo town and later addressed party supporters at the Ondo Civic Centre.

    Mimiko used LP’s platform to serve the state as governor for eight years.

    He dumped the party in 2014 for the PDP to support former President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term bid, which failed.

    The former governor was received into the LP fold by its National Chairman, Alhaji Abdulkadri Abdulsalam, amid other National Working Committee (NWC) members.

    Observers say Mimiko may be preparing for the next presidential contest, from his utterances.

    His supporters and political associates, loyalists and kinsmen at the rally urged him to contest the presidential election under the platform of the LP.

    They assured him of their support.

    Mimiko, who was not categorical about his political ambition, said: “We should thank God for what He has done for me. He has done it before and I am sure He will do it again. He is taking me to somewhere, and by His grace, I shall get there.”

    His speech, titled: Ideological Platform for Incisive Political Engagement: the Labour Party Experience in Ondo State and Beyond, reiterated his determination to serve the people at any level.

    The former governor said his decision to return to the LP was borne out of his ideological belief in an egalitarian and a just society.

    He said: “I most humbly announce to Nigerians today my decision to quit the PDP and return to the LP, my true political family. I have taken this decision out of the conviction on the need to catalyse a greater focus on the ideological content of the Nigerian political firmament. Recall that I was of the LP, and had won my two governorship elections on the platform of the party, prior to my decision to move over to the PDP in 2014.

    “The implication of this is that there was practically no personal gain in focus for us in moving over to the PDP as at that date. The decision was also not borne out of any disagreement with LP – either ideologically or operationally. It was simply a decision that we needed to take in the higher interest of our country. We particularly had in focus the agenda of restructuring, which frontier the then President had extended a bit by convoking the National Conference.

    “We thus felt compelled to work with his party,

    hoping that his victory in the 2015 election would translate the vision of restructuring the Nigerian federation into reality.”

    Mimiko added: “Recall also that the INEC had tweaked the order of the 2015 election, joining the presidential and National Assembly elections to hold on the same day. It posed a huge practical challenge to get our supporters to vote a PDP presidential candidate and LP legislative candidates, in the same election, on the same day.

    “We thought helping to elect a presidential candidate, who had demonstrated this commitment to restructuring of the country, was well worth the risk associated with our having to step out of our LP platform to the PDP, on which the former President was running.

    “Even now, restructuring remains for us the critical plank without which the much-needed stability and functionality of our country cannot be procured.

    “We have also come with the conviction, consequent upon several years of practical involvement in the nation’s political process, that the need for ideologically focused political engagement is now more pressing than ever before. Virtually all the existing political parties in Nigeria today belong to the right of the centre, ensconced as it were in a neo-liberal mental construct, the name or mantra they choose to enrobe themselves in, notwithstanding.

    “This is evident, not in terms of the pretentious claims they make to ideological purity, but in the way and manner they have used power, including the extent to which they have mainstreamed the interest and welfare of the weak and poor in our society…”

     

     

     

    “This ideological fluidity, within which the nation’s extant democracy has evolved since 1999, deserves now to be fully interrogated with a view to engendering a transition to a more ideologically defined system of engagement.

    “This will at once allow for a nuanced

    examination of the context and content of governance, provide the Nigerian people with real alternatives and help the electorate in making informed decisions as to which individual or platform to invest with power and how to hold such to account at all times.

    “We have come to the conclusion that these are the missing links in our political process, which have tended to make an all-comers’ game of it, and one in which the interest of the mass of the people has been greatly marginalised in several of our governance spaces since 1999.

    “To be sure, our thought here is not a mere theoretical exposition. It is one that is consequent upon years of active participation in the political process – at the local, state, and federal levels – since the early 1980s and especially these past two decades.

    “Labour Party and its few ideological soul mates, among the legion of parties in the country today, provide the requisite platform for this type of deep ideological introspection. Without doubt, this social democratic mantra, which LP and its soul mates represent, remains the best possible outlet for leading Nigeria into a new era of progressive governance.

    “By the grace of God, using the platform of the LP, we demonstrated for eight years in Ondo State (2009 – 2017) what it means for government to be pro-people. It is our hope, moving forward, that working within LP and hand-in-hand with other Nigerians of like minds, we would begin to sharpen the ideological divide in Nigerian politics with a view to mainstreaming the welfare and interest of the mass of our people.

    “It is for the foregoing reasons that I, and Nigerians across the country, and in the Diaspora, who admire what we represent, as demonstrated in our varied accomplishments in government, have elected to have us return to the LP.

    “This is a decision we consider as correct, reasonable and patriotic. With this, we are no more restrained from offering to the Nigerian people a pristine, truly ideologically-driven, well-thought-out and historically valid alternative for repositioning our country.”

     

    Ex-governor’s return excites Labour Party

    The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has expressed delight at the return of the immediate past governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, to the party.

    LP’s National Chairman Abdulkadir Abdulsalam said the return of the former governor and his supporters would add more value to the party.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja, the nation’s capital, the chairman urged the public, especially party members and supporters, to discountenance remarks credited to Mike Omotosho that Mimiko was not welcome back into the party.

    The statement reads: “The Labour Party wishes to dismiss …a statement credited to Mike Omotosho purporting to reject the return to the Labour Party of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, the immediate past governor of Ondo State and his teeming supporters.

    “We state that the position expressed by this individual does not reflect the position of the executive and members of the party across the country.

    “The Labour Party is elated that a social democrat like Dr. Mimiko, who through his sterling performances as governor mainstreamed pro-people and pro-poor policies, programmes and projects, is returning to add value to the party…”

  • Mimiko’s return excites Labour Party

    The leadership of the Labour Party has expressed delight at the return of former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, to the party.

    The National Chairman of the LP, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, who was excited by the turn of event, said the return of the former governor and his supporters would add more value to the party.

    Abdulsalam, in a statement issued on Thursday also, urged the public, especially party members and supporters to discountenance remarks credited to one Mike Omotosho, saying Mimiko was not welcome back to the party.

    The statement reads:  “The Labour Party wishes to dismiss in its entirety a statement credited to one Mike Omotosho purporting to reject the return to the Labour Party of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, the immediate past Governor of Ondo State and his teeming supporters.

    “We state that the position expressed by this individual does not reflect the position of the executive and members of the party across the country.

    “The Labour Party is elated that a social democrat like Dr. Mimiko, who through his sterling performances as governor mainstreamed pro-people and pro-poor policies, programmes and projects, is returning to add value to the party.

    “Contrary to the views expressed via the said statement, we state that the Labour Party is open to all Nigerians who subscribe to her goals, programmes and social democratic ideology, and does not owe her existence to any single individual outside the provisions of its constitution.”

     

     

  • ‘I’ll make huge difference as Borno governor’

    Capt. Ibrahim Kadir Mshelia is a gubernatorial aspirant in Borno State under the platform of Labour Party (LP). In this interview, the pilot-turned politician told Daniel Adeleye his drive to vie for the number one seat of the northeast state amongst other issues. Excerpts

    WHY are you aspiring to be the governor of Borno State? I came from Borno State and it’s no news to anyone what has been going on in the state in terms of insurgency, displacement of human beings and cutting short of the hope and future of kids. You’ll recall this started about a decade now and the kids who were about 2-3 years old then, looking at children who are like 15 years old have not known peace in the state. The eyesore of infrastructural degradation in some northern and southern Borno areas will make anyone visiting those areas weep. I was home one day and they told me they took a man to Gombe hospital because the hospital in Biu is ill-equipped. The man died on the road because the road was terrible. In Borno State, there are schools where you have air conditioners in the classrooms and in some places pupils are sitting under the trees. Where is social justice and equity? So, I want to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the hopeless because we have them in abundance. Look at the IDP camps spreading across the state; for the love of God, how much would it cost to relocate persons who had been displaced from their homes? I was born and bred in Biu, the journey from Biu to Gombe that is supposed to take one hour and twenty minutes, takes more than six hours. The place has been completely neglected by the government. How do you deliver service to a place where there is no road? Today, people are still drinking water with animals in the same stream. All these forced me to aspire for the number one seat of the state because I have the passion to serve the people. People are losing hope for the future; they are losing hope in life itself.  I don’t have money to distribute like those moneybags that deceive people with their wealth and abandon them after securing their votes. I’m going into politics to make a huge difference. As a Pilot, I have traversed the length and breadth of this planet called earth; I’ve never seen a place underdevelopment eats deep into like ours. The eyesore is getting worse by the day. I feel, as an accomplished pilot who has flown for 35 years, and having seen what’s going on, I need to contribute my own quota to the greatness of Borno State and Nigeria at large. During one of the town hall meetings that I had, some of the people made me weep. They are suffering and united in problems. We can’t sit in the city and assume everything is alright.

    In the last decade, the economy of Borno State has been the worst hit by the activities of insurgents, what is your plan to reposition the economy of the state and to restore the slogan ‘Home of Peace’ to Borno State?

    Borno State today probably should be the richest state in Nigeria because close to 10 years there have been no room for projects to take place. So, I’m going to inherit a lot of money in the coffer of government. And once you remove greed and allow sincerity to take the lead, it would be easier to restore the economy and Borno State would be a peaceful place to be again. We’ve got brains, Nigerians are in the highest places; we have great economists all over the world and we have people in the World Bank and all that. We’ll invite those brains to come and restructure a good economy in the state.

    You just said you believe in President Buhari and you want to join him in your state to fight corruption; why are you contesting in Labour Party (LP) and not Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC)?

    I believe you’ve seen what happened during the APC primaries nationwide. I chose Labour Party because of the glaring principle of the party, which is social justice and forward ever and that’s my attitude. It does not stop us from sitting down to negotiate; its politics. As an individual, if I walk to President Buhari today and say give me the governorship ticket of APC in Borno State, he will give me but does it work like that? He’s a democrat and as a democrat you’ll go through the process. And in going through the process, I don’t have money to buy delegates. It is common news today that you must be a money bag to get a ticket or you must be anointed by somebody who will give you conditions. Labour Party accepted me wholeheartedly. I read their constitution, which says you must be in the party for a year before you can aspire for any political office. I registered last year so that my file can begin to count. I will say I am a bit religious person, I believe in the tenet of God, so I feel it’s time for me to go in there and do my bit. In Labour Party, if your people accepts you, the party will deliver you. It has happened before in Ondo State during the time of former Governor Olusegun Mimiko. The people love me and trust me so I decided to go with a party that I will not have to spend the money that I don’t have. It excited them when I announced to them that I want to vie for the governorship of Borno State and that I’m very sure that Labour Party will form the next government in Borno State.

  • APC National Chairmanship Race: Why I am not re-contesting – Oyegun

    Barely 24 hours after his decision not to seek re-election, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun said the interest and future of the party, rather than personal gains informed his decision not to re-contest the position of national chairman of the party.

    He dismissed speculations that he may have been intimidated out of the race to retain his position in the party leadership, saying he believed that it was in the interest of the party that does not add to the existing problems.

    Oyegun also dismissed speculations making the round that members of the nPDP were plotting to leave the party, saying the may have chosen this time in the nation’s polity to present their complaints in other to get a good bargain and not necessarily because they want to leave the party.

    The APC Chairman who spoke on the two issues for the first time at an interactive session with Journalists at his residence said those fronting former Edo State state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for the position may have been doing so based on the resolution of the National Executive Committee of the party to regain the current zoning formula in the party.

    Oyegun said: “I wasn’t intimidated out. I took into consideration and I was influenced by my own consideration of what is in the best interest of the party. I have relatively been stubborn and I have been through intense pressure. You are in the media and you know how intense it was that Oyegun must go. I held to the point of principle.

    Read Also: Breaking: I will not seek second term – Oyegun

    “What makes me so glad today is that in all the virility of the attacks and the intensity of the attacks, it was easy to locate it.it was easy to see that by and large, the top leadership of the party were on my side. That is the thing that gave me the most intense satisfaction.

    “So, I wasn’t intimidate out. I just felt we should let somebody else bring some different Air into the system. That was all. It is in the interest of the party that I do not become the problem or the major part of the problem for the party to solve.

    “As for anybody coming in, the contest is open. The man you mentioned has indicated his interest and it is left to the party. There is nothing to dialogue about. You offer yourself for service because you think you have fresh ideas or a new sense of direction or whatever is legitimate. It doesn’t matter where you come from.

    “Again, if you go back to the NEC decision, it said, to the greatest extent possible, the existing zoning should be maintained. What that meant is that since the chairmanship is located in Edo State, the high possibility is that they will also be looking for somebody to replace him from Edo State.”

    Chief Oyegun also said he does not feel betrayed b6 the fac5 that the APC governors who initially stood behind him suddenly dumped him and jumped into the Oshiomhole project.

    He said “As a matter of fact, the reality is that I felt very proud that most of the structures of the party had lined up behind me. But when the reality changed, it is only legitimate that people should make fresh assessment of the new development, decide and act accordingly.

    “For me, if I didn’t make a fresh assessment, I probably would not he saying the things that I am saying right now. It is only normal that in a situation of change, things should change especially when you are faced with new realities. In that situation, the governors and myself, the affected party had to do a fresh rethink.

    Speaking on the crisis in the party at various levels as a result of congresses already conducted, he said “Maybe the so called tenure elongation would not have been such a bad thing afterall. Let us face it. We have finished the congresses and now going for the convention.

    “At the end of the convention, we are also going to have a series of contests in terms of primaries, terminating with the presidential. It is not an ideal situation to confront an election.

    “But what has happened has happened. What any leader must do now is to best manage the realities that exist and out the party in the best possible fighting shape for the 2019 elections. That is something that we must undertake. It is not a matter of choice, but a matter we must undertake.

    “The next few weeks and months will be time for reconciliations, times for consensus building, times for taking care of aggrieved parties within the fold. It does happen with every political contest. It is after that, that you start the fence mending.

    “The APC is one of the most incredible parties in the country today. It is a progressive party and I want you to look around the world. All progressive parties, their hallmark is the contestations of views and approaches to how thing should be done.

    “It is like that all over the world, whether it is Democratic Party, the Labour Party or any other party. That does not mean that the party is constantly in a state of crisis. What is important is that you truly don’t get major blocks within the party that say they want to head out inspite of what has happened.

    “Instead, we are still getting influx of members, including serving members of the national Assembly that are coming in. So, it is a life party, it is virile party and a party where ideas are strongly ad hotly contested and that is healthy. You can’t wish for anything better.”

    He dismissed reports credited to Imo state Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha that he (Oyegun) was witch hunting him (Okorocha) because he opposed tenure elongation, the APC Chairman said “Well, the processes are still on, so, it is not good to answer you in detail.

    “But the answer lies in one fact which is the fact that he is not the only one who opposed the so called tenure elongation. How come he is the only one who is being witch hunted? He wasn’t even the strongest proponent or force behind the objection to tenure elongation. So, why is his case different?

    “That is the question that you ask yourself. I don’t think it is necessary to go into the details. When you look at the totality of the event in that state, I think you can get a clearer picture of what is going on because there is a united voice calling for a different way of doing things.”

    Oyegun also spoke on the decision of party leaders in the south east to endorse the three members of the National Working Committee from the area to return, saying “the party constitution allow you two terms just like it allows me two terms.

    “But I have exercise my option by not offering myself for a second term. As a matter of fact, when the details comes out in the next few days, you will see that most of the states in the north returned most of their executives because they have only had one term and that one term has had its issues.

    “Also, we did not want to create a situation where we will lose most of our experienced hands who worked for victory in the first term and are still available to work for victory for the second term. At the end of the day, you totally don’t throw away the winning team.”

    Also speaking for the first time on the demands of the Kawu Baraje led nPDP, Chief Oyegun said “The process is still ongoing and until we reach understanding with them, it won’t be right to comment. But I think that we tend to have read too much that is negative into their act.

    “I just have a feeling that like all people who want the best terms for themselves, they come at a period when they think it is advantageous for them. Given the state of the polity, I supposed they choose this time not because they want to leave the APC or because they were fed up with the APC or cause trouble within the APC, but because they want a good deal for themselves given the totality of what is going on in the party.

    “So, we have accepted their protest in good faith and we are seating down with them to work out something that will be mutually beneficial to both interests.”

  • INEC registers 70, 000 prospective voters in Kwara

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has registered 70,000 people in Kwara since the commencement of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in April 2017.

    Mr Paul Atser, INEC Administrative Secretary in the state, made this known during a meeting with members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Ilorin on Monday.

    He said that the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) of the 70,000 registered prospective voters would soon be sent to the state for distribution.

    He added that of the 242,000 unclaimed PVCs in the state, 4,000 had been collected by their owners.

    Atser assured IPAC members that the newly printed PVCs would soon be ready for collection, adding that stakeholders would be adequately informed on this.

    According to him, card owners will have to personally visit INEC collection centres as there will be no collection by proxy.

    The administrative secretary expressed satisfaction over at the ongoing registration and urged members of the IPAC to mobilize those yet to register to do so.

    He commended the peaceful and serene political environment existing among the political parties in the state.

    Atser noted that the political parties had been conducting their activities in peaceful manner devoid of any major rancour and appealed to them to sustain the situation.

    He said that the meeting was called to update political parties with developments since the last meeting.

    He urged IPAC members to feel free to visit the commission’s office to obtain clarifications on any issue.

    Earlier, IPAC Chairman in the state, Comrade Abdul-Mumeen Onagun, who is also the Labour Party (LP) Chairman, commended the openness of the state office of INEC in handling all issues relating to political parties and creating a level playground all the time.

    Onagun noted that in spite of INEC’s efforts, the number of the registration centers were still “grossly inadequate” and very far from the registrants.

    He, therefore, urged INEC to create more centres, to ensure that no one was disenfranchised due to inability to register.

  • We ‘ll welcome Mimiko back to Labour Party, says chair

    The National Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Dr. Mike Omotoso, has said the party will welcome Dr. Olusegun Mimiko back to its fold any time he returns.

    There are unconfirmed reports that Mimiko, a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is contemplating a return to LP.

    Mimiko won the Ondo State governorship election through the courts in 2009, displacing the late Dr. Olusegun Agagu, who won on PDP’s platform.

    The former governor defected to PDP in 2014 before the end of his second tenure.

    PDP was defeated by All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2017 governorship election.

    In a statement in Abuja yesterday, Omotoso said LP would gain a mileage if Mimiko returned to its fold, adding that the ex- governor helped in building and nurturing the party.

  • Why there is instability in Labour Party, by group

    A GROUP within the Labour Party has blamed the instability in the party on former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

    The group, Voice-Out Vanguard (VOV), accused Dr. Mimiko of factionalising the Labour Party to pave the way for his return to the party.

    But one of Mimiko’s former aides said defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was not on the card before the former governor.

    The aide said it was untrue that Mimiko was behind the leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party, from which he defected to the then ruling PDP.

    Spokesman of the VOV group, Jimmy Kadiri, said in Abuja that Mimiko has been making frantic efforts to return to the Labour Party in the last few months and that he has been doing all within his powers to factionalise the party.

    He alleged that Mimiko was desperate to hijack the party structures through his own faction within the party.

    According to Kadiri, the former governor has been making frantic moves to effect a leadership change in the Labour party by asking its chairman, Dr. Mike Omotosho, to step aside.

    He warned that party faithful would not allow those who jumped ship since 2014 to destabilise the Labour Party.

    Kadiri urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accord recognition to Omotosho as the party’s authentic chairman, failing which the body would be seen as biased umpire.