Barely 48 hours after a faction of the Labour Party conducted its presidential primary in Abuja, the candidate, Jude Ezenwafor, has surrendered his ticket and apologized to Peter Obi.
Obi, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the LP, was by consensus, elected the party’s presidential flag bearer by delegates.last month However, Obi’s candidature came under serious question on Wednesday after Calistus Okafor conducted a fresh primary where Ezenwafor was elected as another candidate.
The development, which threw Obi’s momentous campaign into a brief disarray, was discredited after Ezenwafor backed down.
“I hereby withdraw from the forthcoming election in 2023,” Mr Ezenwafor said in a statement first published by Band News on Thursday. “After consulting my supporters nationwide, I decided to withdraw for personal reasons.”
“I regret any inconveniences my withdrawal might cost our party,” he added, apologizing to Obi. “I thank the leadership of our great party for giving me the opportunity to serve Nigeria. Thank you and God bless you all.”
In addition to his withdrawal from the race, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), which founded the Labour Party in 2003, issued a statement on Thursday, validating Obi’s candidacy. The NLC said there is only “one Labour Party in Nigeria,” debunking the news of factions. It added that Obi, who the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitored the primary that birthed his candidacy, is the party’s only presidential candidate.
Read the statement signed by NLC’s President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, below:
“It has been brought to our attention that a so-called faction of the Labour Party recently conducted what we can describe as a “beer parlour” presidential primary and supposedly elected a presidential candidate. Nothing can be more spurious, hilarious and ridiculous!
“There is only one Labour Party in Nigeria. For the purpose of public education and clarity, we will take a recourse to history. The Labour Party is the creation and offspring of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The decision to give birth to the Labour Party was taken by the statutory organs of the NLC and affirmed by the decision of the National Executive Council of Congress at its meeting in Bauchi in 2003 when it approved the formation of the Party for Social Democracy (PSD). It was at the inaugural convention of PSD in 2004 that NLC decided to change the name of PSD to the Labour Party and it has remained so since then.
“The Labour Party has since then gone through both bright and blight times. Yet, the ownership of the Party by the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress has never been in doubt. As a matter of fact, the original certificate of the registration of the Labour Party is domiciled in the national headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Also, a Federal High Court judgement by Justice G.O. Kolawole in March 2018 clearly establishes that Labour Party belongs to workers.
“The point is that the Labour Party is what the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) say it is. The leadership of the NLC and TUC recognize the leadership of the Labour Party led by Barr. Julius Abure, a former trade union leader and workers are part of the leadership. The NLC and TUC are aware of only one presidential primary which was held in Asaba, Delta State on 30th May 2022 and produced HE Peter Obi as its presidential candidate and standard bearer.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitored the presidential primary that produced HE Peter Obi. INEC recognizes only the Labour Party leadership led by the Chairman, Barr. Julius Abure and the National Secretary, Alhaji Farouk Umaru Ibrahim. They are the only Labour Party officials whose details are provided on INEC website.
“The leadership of the NLC and TUC gave our full support to the processes that produced HE Peter Obi as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. Nigerians especially workers, youths and women attended the presidential primary of the Labour Party in their thousands and were thoroughly satisfied with the outcome of the same.
“We understand that with the current repositioning of the Labour Party as the party for workers, youths, students, women, traders, farmers, professionals, physically disabled persons, the unemployed and the downtrodden, the Labour Party has become the albatross of establishment political parties who have suddenly become jittery and are devising all forms of conspiracy theories and subterfuge to distract the Labour Party from ongoing mass mobilization efforts for sweeping electoral victory in the 2023 general elections. The recruitment of one Calistus Okafor, a mischievous petty trader, to advance their evil plot of distraction is a new low and should be disregarded by the public.
“This, therefore, serves as a public disclaimer on Mr. Calistus Okafor. We warn the general public to steer clear of Calistus Okafor and characters who might want to cash in on the popularity of the Labour Party to hoodwink, extort and swindle unsuspecting members of the public.
We, hereby, direct Nigerian workers and all the structures of the NLC and TUC to completely disregard the impersonation by Calistus Okafor who has no locus standi to speak for Labour Party. Workers and millions of members of Labour Party who desire a New Nigeria should regard tantrums by characters like Calistus Okafor as a mere storm in a tea cup.
“Truth is that the bull has already left the barn! Nigerian workers, youths, students, women, professionals, the disabled, and the unemployed have embraced the Labour Party as the political vehicle of the downtrodden, the political alternative and a voice for the re-start of a genuine journey of national development. There is no amount of political devilry that can stop us! Forward ever!! Backward Never!!!
“We encourage workers, youths, women, traders, farmers, professionals and all who seek the survival of Nigeria to continue to register for their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) and to safeguard their PVCs. We will answer all those who have held Nigeria down with our PVCs in 2023.”
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