SAM ORAEGBUNAM, an engineer and the Chairman of Labour Party (LP) in Anambra State, speaks to Special Correspondent, CHUMA OGBAJE, on the crisis in the Anambra chapter of the party, arrest of suspected Boko Haram members in Abia State and other issues
Crisis in Anambra chapter of LP
Sam Oraegbulam
There has been crisis in LP in Anambra since the entrance of Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah into it last year to contest the governorship. Some members of the party, from that very moment, felt that his coming was an opportunity for them to make money. But because of the relationship between the Ifeanyi Ubah Campaign Organisation and the party, things did not go as planned.
Since then, most of them have been causing commotion, spreading rumours against the party leadership at both national and state levels, which culminated in the National Working Committee (NWC) suspending them in February. It is this same group of people that came back to say that they were suspending me for not accounting for the so-called N250 million they claimed was nomination fees. But, suffice it to say that everybody in Nigeria knows that there is no political party in Nigeria, out of the registered 26, where nomination forms are sold at the state level. In the case of LP, we had just one aspirant, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah. I am not aware if the party sold nomination form above N10 million or whatever, and that was paid to the national body. So, even if it is in the national, you cannot ask the national to come and account for N250 million, let alone a state chairman who did not even sell the nomination form.
Position of NWC
As it were, after the suspension of the 18 members in February this year, they sued the party leadership, both the state and national. But, to my surprise, on May 28, I got a letter again from the National Working Committee (NWC) saying that it had recalled the suspended members for reasons, of course, I don’t know. All attempts that I made to get clarifications from the national headquarters were futile until they met on the main road, a highway, to suspend me for not accounting for N250 million from nomination forms. I have put up a report to the national chairman, which I have forwarded to Abuja, to brief him on the situation of the party in Anambra.
Arrogation of unauthorised power
If I arrogated to myself power that I do not have as a party chairman, it means I abused the constitution. If so, then, it means you have to get at me through constitutional means. You can now see; they are talking about me abusing power, but they themselves have abused the constitution by trying to call the State Working Committee (SWC) to suspend me. The SWC has no powers to suspend me. It is the SEC (State Executive Committee). And the SEC has to be a properly constituted.
Involvement of LP Secretary, Anthony Orekieh, in purported suspension
Well, everybody is in politics for one reason or another. May be there was financial inducement on him. May be he was told that there were powers from above that were in charge of the orchestrated plan to remove me. Obviously, he might now feel that if there were powers from above intent on removing me as state chairman, it was safer for him to follow the motley crowd, so that, at least, he would maintain his position.
LP and 2015 poll
For LP to be what it was in Anambra is only if we get justice in what we are doing now. But, if anybody – it doesn’t matter who and it doesn’t matter where you operate from – believes that he can always abuse the constitution of the party to remove somebody through jungle justice – not going through the due process of the constitution of the party – obviously, LP cannot grow that way.
Anambra a conundrum, going by developments in PDP, APGA and now LP
The truth, I must tell you, is because the people of Anambra are intelligent, self-determining and independent. A lot of people tend to abuse it. A lot of people tend to cook up stories. It is just like in my case now. When you say somebody is holding N250 million, you know what it means to a common Anambrarian. Honestly, he would be wondering why you should be carrying that kind of money. He wouldn’t waste time to ask himself, where did this N250 million come from? How many people bought the nomination forms?
Ulterior motives behind involvement of National Vice Chairman, South East
I think he is trying to play God. He was my good friend. We were together before, during and after the elections. For reasons best known to them; may be they have another agenda. They felt I was not bendable or amenable to listen to what they wanted to achieve. May be they felt I would constitute nuisance to their 2015 aspirations or ambitions or whatever they want to do. May be they didn’t enjoy the way I worked with them during the gubernatorial election. That might possibly be his ulterior motive; why he felt he should remove me and put his lackey. But what I am saying is that he should have done it constitutionally or he should do it constitutionally. If not, he should forget it.
Reaction to recent arrest of suspected Boko Haram members in Abia State
Hopefully, the security operatives will soon come out with their findings. Let the investigation be properly done to avoid punishing innocent citizens. The insecurity in the country is affecting everybody. Therefore, security agents should rise to the challenge.
