Fayose statement against Bode George splits Lagos PDP – Newstrends
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Fayose statement against Bode George splits Lagos PDP

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A statement credited to a former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, asking the Lagos State chapter of the party to retire a former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Olabode George, may have caused divisions within the party in the state.

Two opposing statements were issued on Sunday by prominent executive members of the state PDP on the matter.

The former Ekiti State governor had said George should be retired to allow the younger ones to take charge of the party if they must begin to win elections in the state.

Reacting to this, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Lagos State, Gani Taofik, issued a statement on Sunday asking Fayose to keep his “divisive” advice.

He warned Fayose not to use his frustration to destroy the party, adding that the state PDP gave him seven days to retract the statement.

But the Chairman of the Lagos State PDP, Deji Doherty, disowned Taofik’s statement.

The PDP chairman emphasised that at no time did the State Working Committee meet to take such a decision and authorised such statement.

The Taofik’s statement read, “PDP, Lagos State chapter gives Fayose seven days ultimatum within which to retract and apologise for the deliberate unwarranted vituperation on all her elderly chieftains in the state chapter of the party.

“Fayose will be declared persona non grata in all our indoor and outdoor activities from Monday, 12th October 2020, unless he, Fayose, purges himself of the grave nuisance value arising from the unsolicited, rabid and divisive advice.

“We are nearing very important elections in the state to take us into winning Lagos State in 2023 general elections. We need togetherness and complementary efforts possible of the old, young, male, female.

“It is thus shocking that a supposed leader would come to our state to ‘tear’ us apart rather than give positive and progressively uniting advice to us. We will hold Fayose responsible for any future election loss in Lagos State and indeed the South-West.”

Doherty, however, said the state publicity secretary of the party must have made such a statement from a beer parlour because no responsible state chapter of the party, including the Lagos, could insult the person of Fayose, loved across board.

He said, “Governor Fayose’s presence at the inauguration of the PDP Campaign Committee for the Lagos-East Senatorial by-election was at the invitation of the party and as such we take responsibility for whatever he might have said.

“While we respect all leaders of the party, including Chief Bode George, we have no moral ground to make such a statement and therefore as a State Working Committee, we disown the reckless statement made by Mr Gani Taofik, who is publicly known as Chief Bode George’s political errand boy.

“Obviously, he must have spoken out of the emotional sentiment of his political affinity to Chief Bode George, not on behalf of the party.

“Apart from taking exception to the statement credited to us as a party, as the state chairman, I, on behalf of the State Working Committee, apologise profusely to the former governor.”

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More drama at LP as BoT announces takeover

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More drama at LP as BoT announces takeover

  • NLC rejects Abure re-election
  • INEC disowns national convention

The Board of Trustees at the Labour Party says it has taken over the administration of the party, indicating a fresh trouble in the LP’s internal crisis.

This was announced on Thursday in a statement issued in Abuja by the party’s BoT Chairman, Sylvester Ejiofor.

He said the takeover of the party came after the expiration of Julius Abure’s tenure as LP’s national chairman

Abure was re-elected as chairman t the party’s national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Wednesday, amid leadership crisis.

All members of the National Working Committee were returned at the convention.

But the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described Abure’s re-election as “an illegality”.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also disowned the exercise on the grounds that it did not monitor the national convention.

INEC spoke through Rotimi Oyekanmi, media aide to INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The BoT’s statement read in part, “Following the expiration of the tenure in office of the immediate past National Working Committee of the LP headed by Mr. Julius Abure, the BoT, in line with the party’s constitution, has stepped in to steer the affairs of the LP.

“This step is to avoid any leadership vacuum in the LP.

“Furthermore, the BoT of the LP, in consultation with major stakeholders in the party, will soon communicate the processes for the conduct of an all-inclusive and expansive national convention of the LP.

“This is in line with the March 20, 2018 Federal High Court consent judgment delivered by Justice Gabriel Kolawole which recognised the Nigeria Labour Congress as the owners of the LP and mandated that an all-inclusive and expansive national convention of the LP be held.

“The decision of the BoT is also in furtherance of the agreement signed between the former national chairman of the LP, Mr. Julius Abure, and the NLC and the Trade Union Congress on June 27, 2022, which was mediated by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“Unlike the charade that took place today in Nnewi and in tandem with the principles of popular democracy, the all-inclusive national convention will start with grassroots congresses at ward, local government, state and ultimately at the national level.

“This process will not leave any genuine member of LP out and will be held in the full view of the Independent National Electoral Commission, media, civil society, security agents, and the general public.”

The Abure-led executive of the party had not responded to the new development as noon on Thursday.

 

A chieftain of the party was quoted in a report by The PUNCH as saying it was a hatchet job.

“Since many of you journalists have been covering this party, have you heard anything about LP Board of Trustees before? It is non-existent.

“How can one Sylvester Ejiofor wake up one day, tag himself as BoT chairman, and issue a statement that he has taken over the affairs of the party? Let him come over to the secretariat and take over then.

“Too many people and mercenaries are just bent on causing conflict in the party,” he said.

 

 

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BREAKING: LP Re-elects Julius Abure As National Chairman

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Julius Abure, the national chairman of the Labour Party

BREAKING: LP Re-elects Julius Abure As National Chairman

The Labour Party (LP) has re-elected Julius Abure as its National Chairman for a second term in office.

Abure was re-elected by a unanimous affirmation of delegates at the party’s National Convention in Nnewi, Anambra State.

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The Chairman of the National Convention and Deputy Governor of Abia State, Ikechukwu Emetu declared him the winner during the event attended by party leaders and members.

More to come…

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El-Rufai set to dump APC, visits Gowon after meeting SDP leaders

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El-Rufai set to dump APC, visits Gowon after meeting SDP leaders

There are talks that a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, may quit the All Progressives Congress (APC) and move to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the second time.

The rumour is coming after the APC chieftain had held meetings with SDP leaders.

El-Rufai also visited ex-military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, at his residence in Abuja on Tuesday.

His second visit to SDP stalwarts on Tuesday has further fueled speculations that the former governor is planning to dump the APC.

El-Rufai lost his bid to become a minister in the President Bola Tinubu as he was screened out by the Senate over a damaging petition written against him.

He was however pictured at the Abuja residence of Senator Abubakar Gada, along with SDP chairman Shehu Musa Gabam and other party leaders.

Also reported to be present at the meeting were Senator Teslim Folarin, APC governorship candidate for Oyo State in the 2023 general elections, and Senator Nazif Suleiman, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party from Bauchi State.

The meeting at Gada’s home in Abuja on Sunday night came after El-Rufai hosted a Ramadan iftar at his Abuja residence.

Those at the Ramadan iftar include the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam and Shehu Musa Gabam.

El-Rufai also visited Gabam at the SDP secretariat.

Last Friday, a former spokesperson for the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation, Daniel Bwala, said the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 Presidential Election, Peter Obi, was planning to leave the Labour Party and join El-Rufai in the SDP.

Bwala, in a post on his X handle, said Obi was planning to leave the Labour Party following the current crisis in the party with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) threatening to take over the party.

Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, joined the Labour Party in May 2023 in the buildup to the 2023 general elections following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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