By Ade Martins-
The Nigerian Labour Party’s divided leadership is in turmoil, amid allegations of illegal conduct. There are calls for urgent direction and leadership as the party’s leadership sack and re-instate one another from their posts, in a bitter struggle for power.
The South South National Vice Chairman of the Labour Party, Favour Reuben(pictured), recently overruled the party chairman, Julius Abure, last week, following the latter’s dissolution of the Rivers State executives which sacked former leader, Reuben Pepper.
Pepper was dismissed last week for publicly endorsing a rival party candidate from the PDP as the leader to replace his own official candidate, for rivers state, Beatrice Itubo, shortly after her own candidacy had been questioned, following allegations of anti-party activities.
Meanwhile, Itubo has been accused of being involved in anti party activities, an allegation she has denied. However, her critics have questioned why she has been photographed with APC governorship candidate Tonye Cole
Former chairman was attempting to bring a candidate from another party to take the place his own candidate was a corrupt act by any standard.
Reuben, who bemoaned the decision of the National Chairman to dissolve Rivers State, alleged that members of the National Working Committee were not informed about the decision of th
The National Chairman, Julius Abure to dissolve the Rivers State executives, reversed the decision of Abure, exposing the divided leadership in the party.
His decision to restore the position of a man who is obviously corrupt by all standards confirms the need for direction in a party which presented the popular third force in the last presidential elections. Corruption has reared its ugly head in that party too.
Reuben told the Nigerian press late last week that Dienye Pepple remains the chairman of LP in Rivers State because as a national leader of the party, he was not informed about the decision that was made in his region. He faces the pressure of having to call the party to order.
Pepple had publicly endorsed a rival party candidate from the PDP as the leader to replace his own official candidate, Beatrice Itubo, shortly after her own candidacy had been questioned, following allegations of anti-party activities.
He said: “I’m the National Vice Chairman in charge of South South. If there is any decision that is taken by the national committee, I should be in the know. None of the NWC members was in the know, which is an aberration.
“It is against the law of Labour Party and our constitution, that a none member, Kenneth Okonkwo, who is not a card-carrying member, will announce the dissolution of the Labour Party state exco. That is why the National Legal Adviser of the party came out to say that whatever was done by Kenneth Okonkwo, was null and void.”
No explanation of why Okonkwo announced the dissolution , especially as a none member.
Reuben said the appointment of Hilda Dokubo as the Chairman of the Steering Committee in Rivers State is illegal.
He claimed that members of the National Working Committee of the Labour Party are behind Dienye Pepple, except the National Chairman.
Meanwhile, Dokubo is still publicly acting officially as the chairman of the Steering Committee, throwing the credibility of the overall party leadership into question.
Reuben notably did not address the anti party activities of Pepple which was obviously corrupt, and does not present Reuben himself as a straight man with any interest in beating corruption
His decision to return Pepple to power in the face of his anti party activities has led to more confusion and instability in a party that has been riding high on the Obi wave.
Members of the party are now searching for real direction and true leadership in a party seeking recognition and dominance. The level of division in the party is becoming poisonous, with many of the powers that be trying to depose of other powers among them.
Some of the party leaders are considered to be moles bankrolled by rival parties to achieve their self gratifying goals.
On Tuesday, the Accord Party in Lagos State dumped its alliance with the Labour Party (LP) and endorsed Governor Babajide Sanwo, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as their preference for Saturday’s gubernatorial election.
The party also announced the decision of the Accord Party candidates to step down for Governor Sanwo-Olu and all the APC flag bearers in the March 1 governorship and House of Assembly elections.
The Labour Party has Gbadebo Vivour Rhodes is its gubernatorial candidate for Lagos, but some of its leaders have endorsed the incumbent governor Sanwo from the APC as its next governor, ignoring the fact he is from another party.
Sanwo has been hailed as a very competent governor who has made Lagosians very proud throughout his tenure.
The chairman of the Accord Party in Lagos State, Mr. Oladele Oladeji, told reporters at a press conference held at Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja on Tuesday that the Accord Party opted out from its alliance with Labour Party to support Sanwo-Olu and other APC candidates in Saturday’s elections due to the way its members were treated by LP after the February 25 presidential poll, which the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, won in Lagos State.
He said Peter Obi’s victory in Lagos State, was a collective effort of all tribes in the state and not a solo effort of a tribe as being claimed in some quarters Oladeji said the performance of Sanwo-Olu’s administration informed their decision to support the governor’s re-election, which shows the party is unbiased but after competent leaders.
The Labour Party is legally challenging the presidential results, claiming it was tampered with deliberately to make the party loose the elections. It has the challenging task of proving this with enough evidence to roll back history and become the first ever party to overturn an election victory through the courts.
As a result of the obedient movement, the party has become one of the most popular parties to emerge as a strong rival to the main parties in the form of the APC and PDP, with many of its supporters confident that they really won the elections, but were cheated as a result of election fraud.
The presidential elections were marred with ballot snatching at several polling units and the sluggishness of votes being uploaded to INEC, but the electoral body claims it was subjected to cyber attacks during the elections which affected its server.
Its popularity will again be tested during the governorship elections, and it is hoped there will be no controversies this time to contaminate the integrity of the outcome.
No official clarity has so far been given in relation to the various internal party leadership issues and contradictions.