With just a few days to the Governorship and House of Assembly elections, Party leadership in Kwara State says it has suspended its governorship candidate, Comrade Basambo Abubakar.
The Party also announced the suspension of five other members.
The governorship candidate, Basambo and his accomplices were suspended for allegedly committing anti-party activities and disseminating misleading information to voters.
Basambo had announced on Monday that the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had joined forces to face the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Saturday’s elections.
This means that Abubakar has collapsed his structures in support of the PDP governorship candidate, Yahman Abdullahi.
In contrast to the announcement, the Labour Party chairman in the State, Comrade Kehinde Rotimi, told newsmen that the party has not partnered with any political party as claimed by the suspended members.
According to the Chairman of the party, the suspended Labour Party governorship candidate broke party rules.
In addition, he made it clear that since the gubernatorial candidate had been suspended, the deputy governorship candidate on the joint ticket would take his place during Saturday’s election.
He added that the party’s House of Assembly candidates are all still contesting and therefore urged supporters of the party to dismiss the gubernatorial candidate’s claim.
He said, “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 has not adopted the candidacy of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Kwara state, Shuaib Yaman Abdullahi, as said by Basambo Abubakar. He has no authority to issue such a 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. 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.”
He stated further that the party is not adopting PDP candidates under any guise warning that 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 Nigerian 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.”
Still in contention
In his reaction to the suspension, Basambo Abubakar said he remains the authentic gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party duly recognized by INEC and the national secretariat of the party.
Basambo said Comrade Kehinde Rotimi had seized to function in the capacity of acting chairman of the party following the presidential election.
He said there are procedures, rules and regulations of suspending any party member in the party’s constitution which they have grossly abused.
According to him, those that are claiming that they have suspended him and some other members are deceiving themselves as they have no such powers or right to take such action.
He declared that he still remains a bonafide member of the party.
Emmanuel Ukoh
