Polls: We’re Not in Alliance with Any Political Party, Labour Party Declares

•Rivers chapter defies order, endorses PDP 

•NWC dissolves state’s executive

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

Ahead of the March 11 governorship and House of Assembly elections, National Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure, has said the party would not negotiate or go into alliance with any other political party.

Abure said LP was only interested in winning elections for candidates contesting under its platform.

But in what seemed like a direct affront to the position of the national leadership of the party, the Rivers State chapter of LP yesterday declared support for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Owing to that, the National Working Committee (NWC) of LP, in swift reaction, announced the disbandment of the party’s executive in Rivers State.

Abure, in a statement, declared that in preparation for the governorship and states’ Houses of Assembly elections, “The Labour Party is leaving nothing to chance in ensuring that our candidates not only participate, but win at the ballot.”

He said the call became necessary, “given reports from some political opportunists from other political platforms, claiming that they have reached an agreement with Obidients and Labour Party supporters to cast their ballots for them in this Saturday’s polls.”

The LP national chairman explained, “We want to state categorically and unequivocally that the national secretariat of Labour Party has not given any instructions for any chapter of the party to liaise or support any candidate, except Labour Party candidates, in this Saturday’s polls.

“Our members should not only go out and vote, but follow the process to a conclusive end as provided by the law.

“We encourage millions of the electorate who believe in Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and the philosophy of the party not to be deterred, but troop out en masse and vote for all Labour Party candidates anywhere in the country.

“The Labour Party is not in any alliance with any political party in the run-up to this Saturday’s polls.”

However, contrary to the national headquarters position, the Rivers State chapter of the party dumped its governorship candidate, Beatrice Itubo, and endorsed the PDP governorship candidate, Sim Fubara, for governor.

This came just few hours after Abure issued the statement.

In a communiqué signed by the state party chairman, Dienye Pepple; member, Board of Trustees, Favour F. Reuben; and Publicity Secretary, Dr. Amadi Solomon, the leadership of the party in the state in the company of some local government party chairmen at a meeting yesterday, said they were supporting a young and vibrant candidate from the South-east Senatorial District that had not produced a governor in the state.

Consequently, they advised Obidients in Rivers State to vote for the Labour Party State Assembly candidates in the elections.

They explained that the decision was in line with the values of equity, fairness and justice, which propelled them to support the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Part of the communiqué from the Rivers State executive that had since been dissolved read, “While our leader heads to the courts to resolve the issues that concern the outcome of the polls, we must not lose sight of the opportunity to once again demonstrate the values that define him, define us as a people, and define our noble party. The values of equity, fairness, justice and balance.

“In the past few days, the party in the state was hit by a major shock of an unknown person surfacing and claiming to be our gubernatorial candidate, coupled with the news making the rounds on social media that our gubernatorial candidate, Mrs. Beatrice Itubo, has stepped down and adopted the APC candidate.

“In order for us not to remain in the dark, the party in line with the 23 LGAs chairmen has decided to support a credible candidate irrespective of the party affiliation, a candidate who must be young and vibrant and must hail from the senatorial district that haven’t produced a governor before in the state.”

It added, “All through the history of this great and outstanding state, the Rivers West district has produced the governor once in person of Sir. Peter Odili. The Rivers East District has produced the governor thrice, while the district of Rivers South East has never had this opportunity, thereby flouting and negating the values of equity, fairness, justice and balance. Values that are both foundational and intrinsic to the Labour Party.

“As Labour Party members, and as Obidient adherents to the aforementioned values, we must come out and support a region that has never in the history of the state produced a governor.

“Voting a Riverine candidate in the person of Siminialayi Joseph Fubara from the South East Senatorial district of the state during the upcoming gubernatorial polls, ensures that Labour Party and her members are defenders and ambassadors of the values that have set her and the Obidient Movement apart from all other parties.

“We urge all Labour Party members, supporters and our Obidients team to come out in their numbers on Saturday 11th March 2023 to vote Sir Siminialayi Joseph Fubara from the South East senatorial District of Rivers State for governor, and vote all other Labour Party candidates for State House of Assembly in their various constituencies.

“The Labour Party considers this decision both fundamental and intrinsic to the stability, progress and growth of Rivers State and by intractable extension- Nigeria.”

However, in a swift reaction, LP’s NWC announced the dissolution of the party’s Executive Council in Rivers State with immediate effect, for what it described as “gross anti-party activities and corruption in the management of Labour Party funds.”

The NWC, rising from an emergency meeting yesterday in Abuja, said the decision was in “the interest of Labour Party and the Obidient movement in Rivers State that those who were at the helm of affairs in Rivers State, when our presidential mandate was openly stolen in Rivers State, should step aside until full investigation on what happened on that day is completed.”

The party NWC said it “has lost confidence in the ability of the compromised State Executive Council led by Mr. Deinye Pepple to lead the campaign for the gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections come March 11th.”

Hence, the NWC urged all its supporters in Rivers State to “disregard every comment made by the disgraced state chairman of the Labour Party, Deinye Pepple, on the election of March 11th”. It reiterated LP’s full backing of the candidacy of its own Beatrice Itubo as the next governor of Rivers State.