By Toyeeb Omotayo
The Labour Party LP has announced the suspension of its governorship candidate, Kwara state Comrade Basambo Abubakar, over his romance with the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of next Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections.
The state Chairman of the party, Chief Kehinde Rotimi, at a press conference on Tuesday in Ilorin, announced the suspension of Basambo until further notice for alleged anti-party activities and spreading misleading information.
It would be recalled that Basambo while addressing journalists in Ilorin on Monday had said that the Labour Party and PDP in Kwara State would collapse their structures and work together as a team for the governorship and assembly candidates of the PDP in the state.
He said the Labour Party would collapse its structure with the PDP where the latter had a strong structure while the PDP would also do the same where the former had a solid structure on the ground.
Basambo, a former aide to former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, had said that the union was expected to birth a collective dream for a prosperous Kwara State.
However, the Labour Party chairman alongside leaders, candidates, support groups, and members of the party said that the LP had not aligned with any governorship candidate or political party in the state for the Saturday governorship election.
Kehinde, 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.
The party chairman, who enjoined members of the public to disregard the statement credited to its governorship candidate, said that all House of Assembly candidates of the party were still in the race, urging the electorate to troop out en masse on Saturday to vote the Labour Party.
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, Shuaib Yaman Abdullahi, as said by Basambo Abubakar. He has no authority to issue a such 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 the 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 the PDP or any other political party in Nigeria, saying “so we’re not adopting the PDP candidate under any guise. Whoever has done so, had done so at his own risk.
“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 this Saturday’s elections. Our mandate is sacrosanct and we’ll not negotiate.
“Basambo Abubakar has the 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.
