Labour Party denies dissolving Edo exco led by Ogbaloi

By Christiana Ekpa

The leadership of Labour Party has described as fake, report that it has dissolved the Edo State chapter of the party led by Kelly Ogbaloi, saying the executive chapter is still in tact.

In a statement issued yesterday by the National publicity secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, the party said claim by a member of the party, Barrister Akingbade Oyelekan where he through his chambers unilaterally dissolved the state executive of the Labour Party in Edo state and also appointed a caretaker committee is false.

“That the said Akingbade Oyelekan is a known acolyte of Lamidi Apapa, a former deputy Chairman of the Labour Party who has since been dismissed from the party since April, 2023 after the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Asaba alongside Apapa, Anselem Eragbe and four others for anti-party activities.

“That the State Executive Committee headed by the chairman, Kelly Ogbaloi is intact and has not been dissolved by the national leadership of the party.

“That the purported 24 man list unilaterally picked by Oyelekan is fake and they are not known to our party. They are also not even members of the party as their names are not in the party register while some of them are not even from Edo state.

“That the latest antics of these group is to create a semblance of a faction in Edo state like they did in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states, thereby hoodwinking some of our members who are aspiring into leadership position in the coming governorship election in Edo state thereby fleecing them of their hard earned money.

“That the leadership of the Labour Party is not in doubt as INEC website is open for all to visit; and that Barrister Julius Abure and his national and states executive are still the authentic leadership of the party up till present.

“That Lamidi Apapa, Akingbade Oyelekan and their cohorts are not known to INEC and therefore are imposters and criminal elements who should be behind the bars for impersonation and serially abusing judicial processes.

“That any correspondence emanating from Lamidi Apapa, Akingbade Oyelekan or any of their cohorts must henceforth be ignored, discountenanced and trashed into the dustbin.

“We are therefore using this medium to warn the public particularly, the unsuspecting governorship aspirants in Edo state to beware of these disgraced former members of the party and avoid going into any deal with them. Their trails of woes in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi are still fresh to the minds.”