Tribal sentiment is tearing the Labour Party apart in Kogi State. DAILY POST in this report takes a look at the crisis rocking the Party and the possibility of its Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi winning the State in the 2023 presidential election.
The Labour Party, which happens to be one of the opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Kogi State, has been gradually gaining ground. However, it is now enmeshed with crisis bothering on tribal lines.
Several factions have emerged in the party, which could affect their performance in the 2023 election, both at the Federal and State Government.
DAILY POST gathered that the battle of who controls the party in Kogi State has taken a new twist as two major tribes feel cheated as it concerns the day to day running of the political affairs of the party in the State.
People from the Central part of Kogi State are alleging that the party members from the Eastern part of Kogi State have hijacked the Labour
Party. This is also the position of some aggrieved Labour Party members in the Western Senatorial Districts.
A party source, who never wanted his name mentioned, described the present leadership of the Labour Party, led by Hon. Suleiman Abdul Ahmed as the biggest scam of the century.
The source said, “The present leadership of Labour Party in Kogi State are jokers. They have already tribalized the Labour Party in Kogi. You can say anything because you don’t belong to their faction or tribe.
“I am not seeing our party making success with this development. I overheard the Chairman speaking at a press conference that the party is not divided. These are lies. He is running away from the truth. The Labour Party in Kogi State is now an ethnic agenda.
“Just look at the population of party officials that attended our presidential candidate rally on Tuesday held at the Confluence Stadium Lokoja. You would agree with me that only a few party officials loyal to the embattled Chairman were present. The National Secretariat should call the present leadership in Kogi to order before our party fails outrightly in the 2023 general election.”
No Factions in Kogi Labour Party- Chairman
However, the Kogi State Chairman of the Party, Hon. Suleiman Abdul Ahmed has debunked media reports that the party is now divided on ethnic lines and has several factions.
Speaking to DAILY POST, Ahmed accused the ruling party of using some bad elements in the party to cause chaos.
According to the Labour Party Chairman, the All Progressives Congress- led Government in Kogi State, instead of concentrating on policies that would attract development, are busy clamping down on other political parties, raising false alarm in the State.
“There is no division in the Labour Party. Those saying all these are doing that for their own selfish interests. The Labour Party belongs to all Nigerians and not for a particular tribe in the State. Mischief makers are scared of the rising political profile of the Labour Party in Kogi State, so they are eager to see how they can divide the party. We also know that there are people who are paid by the incumbent.
“People who have ruled this State and ruined it, people who for so many years have not been paying salaries. Even when they try to pay, they will pay it in percentage. People who have also made up their minds that the State should go into retrogression, instead of progress. They already know that the people will reject them at the poll, all that is paramount to them is to cause disunity in the party,” he added.
PCC, State Executive to be summoned to Abuja
Sources within the Labour Party have indicated that the Presidential Campaign Councils in Kogi State, alongside the State Executive will be summoned to Abuja to give an account of how funds were spent on Mr. Peter Obi’s campaign in Kogi State.
According to the source, Obi was not happy with what he saw when he visited Kogi State on Tuesday. The source had accused the party executive of syphoning funds meant for the success of the presidential campaign of the Labour Party.
The source said, “Hell will soon let loose in the Labour Party in Kogi State. I can confirm to you that the PCC of the Labour Party in Kogi, alongside the State Executive will be invited to Abuja to tell the world how they spent money used for our campaign in Kogi State.
“Just look at the low turnout yesterday. It was due to their poor preparation and lack of mobilisation across the 21 Local Government Areas of Kogi State.
“These People collected millions of naira from the National Secretariat but had nothing to show for it. I feel they are working for the APC and the PDP in Kogi State to win the election instead of our Party. We can’t continue like this. The Party is really divided, and it is time for the national Secretariat to intervene quickly before the Labour Party loses Kogi State in 2023.”
