Dan Nwanyanwu, the national chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), has cleared the air on the party’s affiliation with Akin Osuntokun, the new Director General (DG) of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council.
The ZLP in a statement on Friday revealed that Osuntokun resigned from the party in August 2022 and therefore was free to associate with other parties.
Information Nigeria had reported that the LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, announced Osuntokun, a former aide to President Olusegun Obasanjo, as his campaign DG days after Doyin Okupe resigned from the position.
However, there were concerns that Osuntokun remained a senatorial candidate in Ekiti State under the ZLP, following his appointment.
READ ALSO: 2023 Election: Obasanjo ‘Fully Backing’ Peter Obi’s Campaign – Osuntokun
Nwayanwu, who also doubles as the ZLP presidential candidate, setting the record straight, maintained that Osuntokun had ceased to be a member of the party and that no grudge is being held against him.
The statement read, “The controversy generated by the appointment of Mr. Akin Osuntokun as the DG of H/E Peter OBI Campaign organization is uncalled for.
“Akin Osuntokun resigned from the Zenith LABOUR Party in August 2022 and therefore no longer a member of our Party.
“Prior to his resignation from ZLP, he held the ticket as a Senatorial Candidate in Ekiti State. At the time of his resignation, we could not replace him because the window allowed by the Electoral Act for substitution had elapsed.
“We hold no grudges because it is his fundamental right to associate and exit from any organization. We wish him well in his newfound greener pasture.
“We believe this will put to rest the barrage of inquiries to us in this regard.”
