By Adeyinka Adeniran
Ahead of the governorship polls in Edo state, a group, Labour Party Forum for Justice, Equity and Fairness has asked the leadership of the party to give the Edo state gubernatorial ticket to Ken Imasuangbon and let Olumide Akpata run as his deputy.
Speaking on behalf of the group in a statement, Dr. Ben Osage said the call is in furtherance to the media report published in some national daily of 19th of May, 2024 with the caption, “Edo 2024: Labour moves to reconcile Akpata, Imansuangbon.”
Osagies said, the Labour Party stakeholders under the aegis of the Labour Party Forum For Justice, Equity and Fairness decided to put the records straight with the statement.
The statement reads in part “It is certain that the Labour Party and the teaming Obidients across Edo state know that the September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election is ours to win. It is without an ounce of equivocation clear that our dear party, the Labour Party believes in equity, justice and fairness. And it is important to put before the world the position of the LP stakeholders on the event superintended by select members of the party on the 23rd of February, 2024 that was called the Edo State Labour Party Governorship Primaries.
“Whilst commending the political commissions of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for efforts targeted at reconciling all interests, and reorganizing cum reshaping the LP for effective participation in the democratic space, we must hasten to state that no reconciliation will be sustainable and far-reaching if the pillars on which the party sustains is ignored or breached. Can there be genuine reconciliation where justice, equity and fairness is thrown overboard?
“The singular threat to the success of our dear party in the forthcoming Edo State governorship election is the fact that the largely mercantile erstwhile LP leadership under Julius Abure torpedoed the values of equity, justice and fairness by allowing a candidate from Edo South to emerge as the candidate whereas the incumbent Governor of Edo State Godwin Obaseki is from Edo South. Also curious is the fact that in 24 years of the present democracy Edo South when Obaseki’s tenure expires in a few months would have been in power for 16 years, and Edo North for eight years, it is therefore only just, fair and equitable to have someone from Edo Central as the governorship candidate of our dear party.
“The two major political parties that we often vilify chose equity, justice and fairness over political correctness by ceding power to Edo Central knowing that inclusiveness ditto power rotation, power sharing and consensus building is necessary for development and progress. The PDP elected a candidate from Edo Central because equity, justice and fairness must count.
For the APC, the very sagacious and popular Pastor Ize-Iyamu withdrew from the race so someone from Edo Central could be the APC candidate, and when Comrade Oshiomole and his team thought otherwise by choosing a candidate from Edo South, it took the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who upon his return from a foreign trip instructed a rerun because of the call for justice, equity and fairness noting that Edo Central as it were must be given a chance to produce the next governor of the state.
“Indeed both the PDP and the APC have candidates from Edo Central, why should our dear LP that prides in justice, equity and fairness be different?”
“As though karma were lurking in the corners of our hypocrisy, the candidate so chosen through Abure’s subterfuge has huge legitimacy issues and the validity of the ticket is suspect. The choice of deputy and the issues surrounding the replacement of the placeholder, as well as the fact that Barrister Olumide Akpata can no longer present a valid deputy governorship candidate as stipulated by INEC rules and regulations having run out of time, even as he runs from pillar to post to validate a mortally defective ticket, we must state that the way out of the present logjam is for the LP to ask Barrister Olumide Akpata to resign and serve as deputy governorship candidate to Barrister Kenneth Imasuangbon who is from Edo Central.
“Conversely the only window open to our dear party, so we do not lose out completely and not have a valid governorship candidate in Edo state is the providential action ditto the case in Court instituted by Imasuangbon challenging the validity of the Olumide Akpata ticket on grounds of law, and also raising serious issues regarding the propriety of the ticket knowing that it works against justice, equity and fairness. Indeed had Barrister Imasuangbon not gone to court, the fate of the LP in the Edo governorship election would have been sealed as the party will have no valid candidate knowing that Olumide Akpata does not have a valid deputy governorship candidate.
“As concerned stakeholders of the party, we plead with organized labour and the Obidients to prevail on Barrister Olumide Akpata to stepdown/resign and run as the deputy governorship candidate of our dear party, with Barrister Ken Imasuangbon as the governorship candidate, this is the way to prevent our dear LP from losing out completely because Barr. Olumide Akpata is not a valid candidate known to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Anything other than this clear pathway to victory will amount to the LP surreptitiously working for the PDP or the APC because without a valid ticket our struggle will pan for nothing.
“We are committed to seeing that everything humanly and legitimately possible is done to ensure that the LP wins Edo state come September 21, 2024, and the very bright path to tread is to support a Ken Imasuangbon/Olumide Akpata ticket. We pray this happens.”
