The confusion rocking Labour Party in Kwara state escalated on Tuesday as its Governorship candidate Comrade Basambo Abubakar, and others have been suspended indefinitely for alleged anti-party activities and disseminating misleading information to members of the public ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial poll.
Recall that on Monday the governorship candidate Comrade Abubakar at a press conference in Ilorin announced that the party has formed an alliance with the PDP in order to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming election.
But addressing journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday alongside leaders, candidates, support groups and members of the party and other candidates, the State Chairman of the Labour Party, Comrade Kehinde Rotimi, said that the party had not aligned with any governorship candidate or political party in the state for the Saturday governorship elections.
The Labour Party chairman, who said that the suspended Labour Party governorship candidate acted against what the party stands for, added that he had no such authority to have announced the alignment of the Labour Party with any political party in the state.
He also clarified that the electorates should on Saturday vote for the Deputy governorship candidate who has remained loyal, being a joint ticket since the gubernatorial candidate has been suspended.
The party chairman, who enjoined members of the public to disregard the statement credited to its governorship candidate, also said that all House of Assembly candidates of the party are still in the race, urging the electorate to troop out en masse on Saturday to vote Labour Party.
He said,”We’re here to set the record straight. Labour Party is a political party with an ideology, based on social justice and equality. Labour Party had not adopted the candidacy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kwara state, Shuaib Yaman Abdullahi, as said by Basambo Abubakar. He has no authority to issue such a statement on behalf of the party.
“We’re in a very sober mood right now because of our presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, who was massively voted for by Nigerians, but the Nigerian system came into being as usual. Currently, he’s challenging the result of the election in court. So, it’s morally wrong for us to come out and say we’re adopting another party for governorship election against the wish of our presidential candidate”.
The state chairman of the Labour Party also said that the presidential candidate of the party had at no time mandated the party to work for PDP or any other political party in Nigeria. ,”So, we’re not adopting PDP candidates under any guise. Whoever has done so, had done so at his own risk.”He stressed.
He added,”We call on members of the public to disregard the information because it is misleading and incorrect. Labour Party remains one and committed to the Nigeria project. All our candidates are contesting for this Saturday’s elections. Our mandate is sacrosanct and we’ll not negotiate.
“Basambo Abubakar has right of freedom of association but we remain resolute and committed to our ideology and we’ve not adopted any governorship candidate or aligned our forces with any political party in the state”, he said.
