The former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and Edo governorship hopeful under the platform of the Labour Party (LP), Barr Olumide Akpata, on Tuesday, denied any involvement in the Sunday, February 4, 2024 protest at the state secretariat of the party in Benin City, the state capital.
Akpata who described the insinuations and rumours linking him or his supporters to the protest as an attempt to “give a dog a bad name in order to hang it”, stressed that he remained focused and steadfast in the pursuit of his gubernatorial ambition as the candidate to beat.
The former NBA president, spoke at a press conference he called to address the issue,said that with his antecedents, he could not have acted in any manner that would be seen to be unlawful, stressing that he would pursue his ambition in a lawful and peaceful manner, upholding the principles of tolerance and justice.
The LP governorship hopeful, while declaring that he got to know about the protest which turned violent while he was outside the state, said: “I want to clearly and unequivocally state that I have absolutely no knowledge of this protest, nor have I sanctioned or approved it in any way.
“The baseless rumours and insinuations that have been mischievously circulated that these protesters are carrying out my bidding are totally false, unfounded, and quite frankly ridiculous”. Akpata maintained.
He added that as a loyal and dedicated member of the LP, who had invested significant time, energy, and resources towards building and strengthening the party across Edo State since he joined, it was both laughable and utterly despicable that he would be linked to any kind of violent protest at the party’s secretariat.
“It is very likely that these bogus allegations and rumours are emanating from certain quarters within and even outside the Labour Party that are opposed to my emerging as the Labour Party’s gubernatorial flag bearer in the upcoming February 22, 2024, primary elections.
“In their desperation, they have resorted to underhanded tactics and smear campaigns to undermine my widespread credibility, acceptability, and support base within and outside the party in Edo State and across the country.
“Amusingly, this is quite similar to an earlier campaign of calumny that sought to link me to acts of violence meted out against a former National Youth Leader of the Party in Benin City. This is yet another ludicrous attempt to unjustly give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
“I want to categorically state that I, my campaign organisation, supporters, and well-wishers do not engage in, encourage, or sanction any kind of violence or unwholesome conduct. These puerile allegations are the products of malicious minds that are aimed at unfairly and irreparably tarnishing my hard-earned reputation, image, and rising popularity as a foremost gubernatorial aspirant of choice within the Labour Party in Edo.
“The good and discerning people of Edo State and Nigerians at large know what I stand for. They know my antecedents and that my track record is one of integrity, maturity, and excellence. As such, these attempts to unjustly smear my character by linking me to acts I have no knowledge of or involvement in will certainly fail,” the LP governorship aspirant said.
Akpata further stated that as a lawyer of more than 30 years, he fully understood that peaceful protest “is the fundamental right of every Nigerian citizen, guaranteed by the constitution and upheld by the courts of the land”, adding that law-abiding citizens “have a right to freely associate and to protest, provided that this is done peacefully and legally without threatening lives or property”.
He, however, advised that if any person had acted unlawfully in the course of the alleged protest, they should be promptly reported to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for proper investigation and possible prosecution as provided by laws of the country.
Fielding questions from journalists, Akpata rejected the toga that he was Obaseki’s spy in the LP, saying that those who were uncomfortable with his ambition had devised that to get him out of the race.
“What message will Obaseki send me? The roads he failed to build, the schools he did not build or the health centres they failed to build?
“Governor Obaseki and PDP have not done well in the way they ran Edo State, that is why I came to say I am a better option. Ever since I showed up, people within and outside the party have been uncomfortable. My aspiration does not sit well with them”.
Akpata told journalists that he believed in the LP to conduct free and fair primary having received feedback from what happened in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo States.
He assured he would remain in and build the party irrespective of the outcome of his aspiration, saying that “LP is a people-centric party and I am in politics because of the people“.
