By: Biola Azeez – Ilorin.
Less than a week to Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections, the Labour Party in Kwara State on Tuesday suspended its governorship candidate Comrade Basambo Abubakar, until further notice for alleged anti-party activities and disseminating misleading information to members of the public.
Addressing journalists in Ilorin alongside leaders, candidates, support groups and members of the party, the Labour Party chairman, Comrade Kehinde Rotimi, said that the party had not aligned with any governorship candidate or political party in the state for the Saturday governorship elections.
It is recalled that Comrade Basambo Abubakar, had on Monday, while speaking with journalists, said that Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State had decided to align political forces and work together in the March 18 governorship elections in the state in the hope of forming a unity government after governorship election victory.
Basambo Abubakar, 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 state.
But according to the Labour Party chairman, the suspended governorship candidate acted against what the party stands for, added that he had no such authority to have announced alignment of 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 are still in the race, urging the electorate to troop out en masse on Saturday to vote Labour Party.
“We’re here to set the record straight. Labour Party is a political party with ideology, based on social justice and equality. Labour Party had not adopted candidacy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Shuaib Yaman Abdullahi, as said by Basambo Abubakar. He has no such authority to issue 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 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 governorship election against the wish of our presidential candidate”.
The state chairman also said that the presidential candidate of the party had at no time mandated the party to work for PDP or any other political party in Nigeria. So, we’re not adopting 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 Nigeria project. All our candidates are contesting for this Saturday’s elections. Our mandate is sancrosant and we’ll not negotiate.
“Basambo Abubakar has 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.
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