Simeon Mpamugoh
National Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Mike Omotosho, has said the party is not in any coalition with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other 30 political parties to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next year’s general election.
He said the PDP listed over 30 political parties among those in its planned coalition to challenge APC, adding that some of the political parties had denied consenting to the coalition, with the Labour Party publicly dissociating itself from the merger, which he described as “a clandestine gathering and an unholy alliance of strange bedfellows.”
Omotosho reiterated that Labour Party is guided by strict principles and ideals, which cannot be compromised, saying the LP is not just a political party, but, also, a movement.
He described Labour Party as a people-driven organisation established to fight for the rights and interests of the people, rather than those of the political class.
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He alleged that the rumoured coalition was the contraption of the former national chairman of the party, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, who, he alleged has been masquerading as the party’s chairman, adding that the former chairman was removed from office at a special national convention on October 3, 2017, and should, therefore, not speak for the party.
He said: “We wish to unequivocally state that the Labour Party is not part of any coalition. The leadership of the party has not been consulted, neither has there been any formal meeting or agreement between our party and any other political party in Nigeria.”
He said the coalition, as it were, was a brainchild of the PDP, and as such, could not be trusted to embody the political ideals that Nigerians expect of the party.
He hinged his scepticism from the fact that the merger, which he described as heterogeneous one, would not stand the test of time, when the components groups begin to press for their respective interests, citing as an example, the challenges that engulfed the APC recently.
He urged politicians targeting the Labour Party for their selfish interests, to look elsewhere, adding that Labour Party is an institutional party attached to the Nigerian Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress, and the civil society, which oversee its activities and monitor its progress.