“let me make it clear that the victory of the 2023 Presidential elections belongs to Nigerians and they have entrusted that vote to Mr. Peter Obi of Labour Party. INEC and the APC is aware of that and have found ready-made allies in the person of Lamidi Apapa, Eragbe Anselem and co, to engage in this criminality against the Nigerian people, unfortunately they’re bound to fail.” – Njoku Jerry A.
The Executives and entire members of Abia State chapter of Labour Party led by Hon Ceekay Igara joins other well meaning members and executives of the party across the 36 State of the Federation to condemn the just concluded illegal NEC Meeting organised by the Lamidi Apapa factional group in Bauchi State recently.
In a communiqué issued by the State Chairman after a meeting with members of the SEC in Umuahia, the party described the activity of the factional group as a coup and an act of sabotage aimed at destabilizing the party.
Speaking through the State Publicity Secretary of the Party, Comrade Njoku Jerry Ajike, he stated that; We are aware that invitation were issued by suspended and expelled members of the party to individuals outside the constituted leadership of the party at all levels, calling for a NEC meeting somewhere in Bauchi State and, unfortunately unsuspecting members of the public including certain candidates of the party fell victims and are now suffering the consequences of their ignorance.
However, let me make this clear that “the members of Abia State Labour Party are using this medium to declare and affirm that Hon Ceekay Igara remains the State Chairman of the Party and we hereby affirm and assert our loyalty and support to the National Working Committee led by the lawfully recognized National Chairman of the party in the person of Barrister Julius Abure.
In respect of this, we hereby declare all decision made and published by the Lamidi Apapa factional group in Bauchi State, Null and Void and of no effect”
For the benefit of doubt Mr. Eragbe Anselem has been expelled from the party for gross misconduct and do not have any right whatsoever to be issuing any invitations on behalf of the party, and it will be very unfortunate he chooses to engage in a pig fight with the party that has made him whatsoever he is today.
I am using this medium to notify the general public to be careful, cautious and wary of the kind of persons they associate with in the name of Labour Party.
“Mr. Eragbe Anselem was the former National Youth Leader of the party; he was suspended for activities bothering on fraudulent behavior and finally expelled for gross misconduct alongside Mr. Abayomi Arabambi, the former National Publicity Secretary of the party and others. Rather than show remorse for the sake of the party they claim to have built over the years and seek constitutional avenues to resolve their expulsion, they resorted to vindictive mud fight and have found a safe abode with the enemies of the Nigerian electorates bent on pushing Nigeria back to the statusquo of fraud and criminality.” No sane party man or woman would tolerate such divisive and unpatriotic behavior against his party. Said Mr. Njoku
Speaking further, Njoku stated that; as it stands today, there is an existing allegation that the group is being sponsored by forces bent on distracting Labour Party from its main focus of taking back its stolen mandate through the court. Now by their actions, they are simply affirming such allegations to be true.
“On the 1st of May, Mr. Eragbe Anselem set up a Whatsapp group where he began to send invitations to unsuspecting or naïve members of the party including those who has left the party for other parties before the emergence of Mr. Peter Obi and Alex Otti, inviting them for a purported NEC meeting in Bauchi State and making promises of welfares from Abuja to Bauchi.
Mr. Anselem knows virtually all the current State Chairmen of the party as a former national executive, however, he avoided them and began to send invitations to ex-Chairmen who have left the party, he began to add unsuspecting candidates in the just concluded national elections into the forum to woo them over as ignorant participants in their crime against the party. What other evidence do we need to be convinced that Mr. Lamidi Apapa, Anselem Eragbe and others, are bent on distracting the party and causing confusion to their advantage of greed and selfishness. Said Mr. Njoku
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is obvious that the main motive behind this shenanigans is to create a parallel structure at the national level then use it to destabilize the party and scuttle the weighty petition the party and its presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi has instituted against the criminal manipulation of the people’s result by INEC and APC.
Finally, let me make it clear that the victory of the 2023 Presidential elections belongs to Nigerians and they have entrusted that vote to Mr. Peter Obi of Labour Party. INEC and the APC is aware of that and have found ready-made allies in the person of Eragbe Anselem, Lamidi Apapa and co, to engage in this criminality against the Nigerian people, unfortunately they’re bound to fail.
