Lagos LP in trouble as new exco emerges

By Adekunle Williams

The crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) has continued unabated as a new LP faction led by Mr Olumide Adesoyin emerged in Lagos State.

The Adesoyin-led faction disowned Mrs Dayo Ekong-led Executive Committee (Exco) which led the party into the 2023 General Elections in the state.

Speaking, Adesoyin said that a competent court had warned the general public to desist from dealing with the Ekong-led faction anymore in the state.

Adesoyin said the Ekong-led exco was no longer recognised by law, following the sack of the Mr Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, which appointed Ekong-led excos into office.

“It is in the public knowledge that Abure was suspended by members of his ward in Edo State in April 2023, the reason Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa was called upon to take over the leadership, being the next in line, to rescue the party.

“It would be recalled quickly that the embattled Abure appealed his suspension at the Appeal Court but lost and the case is now listed in the Supreme Court awaiting proceedings and judgment,” he said.

Adesoyin said that it was based on the court judgement that he and his team were given a letter by Apapa in April to act and perform as the executive committee of the Labour Party in Lagos State for three months period.

He said that this was in consonance with the party’s constitution, noting that the three months period would expire by the end of July.

Adesoyin said that the tenure of his own exco had since been renewed by the party’s national body.

He said that notwithstanding the party’s laid down rules and regulations, the Ekong-led exco had been “going about parading themselves as the state executives of the party in manners that is rather alien to our party’s constitution.”

He explained that the need to maintain Labour Party’s respectable name made his led exco approach an Ikeja High Court to put Ekong-led exco in check.

Adesoyin urged members of the public to be wary of their dealings with the Abure-led body, saying that courts of competent jurisdiction in both Benin and Abuja had cautioned Nigerians against such.

In a swift reaction, Ekong-led State Working Committee described the group as impostors, who interpret court orders to suit their selfish interests.

Ekong in a statement urged the general public to disregard Adesoyin’s claim, saying the party’s constitution did not recognise faction.

She urged Nigerians to know that there is no faction in the party, the Labour Party either at the National or State level.
Ekong said there was only one legally recognised national chairman and secretary of the party in the persons of Mr Julius Abure and Mr Umar Farouk respectively.

She noted that the Constitution of the party did not know any position of “acting national chairman.

According to her, Apapa is not the national chairman neither are his cohorts, members of the national working committee of the Labour Party.

“For the sake of clarity, Mr Apapa and his cohorts are suspended members of a national working committee of the party,” she said.