Okupe and 10 members of the party were removed by the leadership of the Ogun State chapter of LP over alleged “non-financial membership status, political rascality and misappropriation of funds.”
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Labour Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on Friday sacked its National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, and dissolved the Ogun chapter of the party just two months before the 2023 general elections.
The move followed the chapter’s expulsion of the Director General of Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Doyin Okupe.
Okupe and 10 members of the party were removed by the leadership of the Ogun State chapter of LP over alleged “non-financial membership status, political rascality and misappropriation of funds.”
The affected members were deputy State Chairman II East, Jagun Lookman; state Women Leader, Oluwabukola Soyoye, ex-state Treasurer, Gbadebo Fesomade; state Publicity Secretary, Jide Amusan; state Youth Leader, Abdulmalik Olaleye; Assistant State Youth Leader, Adeshina Shojobi; Senatorial Women Leader Ogun East, Deborah Adewale; Assistant State Secretary, Olatunde Abolade, Abel Olaleye and Abayomi Collins.
The LP national leadership, however, countered Ogun chapter’s decision, saying the state executives had no locus standi to remove Okupe.
Following an emergency meeting of the NWC in Abuja, the LP National Secretary, Umar Farouk, announced the sacking of the national spokesperson, dissolution of its state chapter in Ogun and suspension of its chairman and other executives.
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According to him, the party can no longer condone such anti-party activities among its rank and file.
He said, “The acting National Publicity Secretary has been relieved of his appointment by the National Working Committee. A disciplinary committee has also been constituted to investigate his anti-party activities as a member of the Labour Party.
“The Ogun State chapter of the party has also been dissolved and the chairman and its exco suspended. A caretaker will be appointed to take care for the party’s activities in the state. They will also be investigated by the disciplinary committee for anti-party activities.
“The NWC has also unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the National Chairman, Julius Abure. Consequently, we call on the party members to adhere strictly to the provision of the Constitution and Code of Conduct of the party. We also call on the general public to have more confidence in the party as the leadership of the party is working very hard to ensure that we are not distracted. The bad elements and the Judas among us will be fished out gradually and punished in accordance with the Constitution of the party.
“We also called on Nigerians to disregard any negative information spread by some miscreants as the party’s loyalists, whereas we have found out they are acting out the script of our opposition.”