… Say they’re for fairness, equity and justice
A major crack has appeared within the Edo State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) as the Obidient Movement in five local government areas of the state poured cold water on the suspension slammed on Chief Friday Ibadin, the Edo Central Senatorial Leader of the party. The leaders who are from the Edo Central Senatorial District, subsequently passed a vote of confidence on Chief Ibadin.
Last week, a faction of the LP said to be loyal to Olumide Akpata, the gubernatorial candidate in the September election, slammed an indefinite suspension on CP Ibadin (Rtd), accusing him of anti-party activities for hosting Dr Asue Ighodalo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ighodalo had made a whistle stop visit at the Uromi residence of Ibadin while on a visit to PDP leaders and chieftains in the areas in company of former House of Assembly Speaker, Hon Friday Itulah .
While welcoming Ighodalo, Ibadin had argued that he was doing it because politics should not divide brothers and inlaws and more so, he believed the PDP candidate was the most qualified to be governor in terms of competence, capacity, character, exposure, pragmatism and above all, as an Obidient, he believed that the next governor of Edo state should come from Edo Central in the interest of fairness, equity and justice.
Olumide, the LP candidate is from the same local government in Edo South as the current governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki. And the five local government chairmen of the LP said to be loyal to him, in a quick reaction, signed the letter suspending the LP chieftain and leading Obidient figure in the state.
However, in a counter move on Monday, leaders of the Obidient Movement and LP, numbering over 50 from the five local government areas, stormed Uromi in a solidarity visit to rally support for their leader, Ibadin. They emphasized that nobody can push him and his followers out of the LP because of Olumide whose emergence as the candidate of the party fell short of the ideals of the Obidient Movement.
Speaking during the solidarity visit, the spokesman for the leaders said “When we heard about the suspension, I got in touch with him and he explained it to me. Then I said, no problems, we are with you. Chief Ibadin is not just a senatorial leader in Edo State, he is a leader we all respect in Edo State as far as the Obidient Movement is concerned. And we will not fold our hands and watch those that were still partying and clubbing, while we were building the Obidient and strengthening the structure of the Labour Party to begin to rubbish our fathers, we will not allow that to happen.
“We all became Obidient because of the man called Peter Obi in the Labour Party. If Peter Obi moves out tomorrow, the Obidient also moves with him. So, for now, we are still fully in the Labour Party. The strangers cannot push us out. Those we opened our door for as visitors, will not take over our house. Because what is happening in the Labour Party today is a thing of shame. So, we came in here today, sir, to say let your spirit be high. The Obidient family in Edo State is standing with you. They said you endorsed the candidate of the PDP; I put up a post that we are not going to support the candidate that was imposed on us for a very cogent reason. And I will say it any time any day, the process that brought in the candidate of the LP is alien to the Obidients. That is not what the Obidients are known for. I have nothing against their candidate, nothing against Akpata, I have refused to have any meeting with him, because we stand for fairness, equity and justice. It is the reason we stood up for Obi. And it has been sabotaged here in Edo State.
“If Peter Obi were to be in that race, he would withdraw and say I can’t participate in this because he won’t believe in the process where money was exchanging hands. If someone is coming to serve us, we should be the one to beg him to come and take the ticket just the way the Obidients asked Peter Obi to join LP and we all supported him. And today, the party we said was on a life machine is now one of the most popular parties in Nigeria,” he said.
Analysts are already saying that the latest development in the state LP may lead to the unraveling of the party if it is carelessly handled since the kernel of the argument of the Obidients is that Olumide’s candidacy runs contrary to the ideals of fairness, equity and justice.
