Why we endorsed Abiodun's re-election in Ogun - LP

By Peter Adedoyin

The Ogun State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) on Tuesday cleared the air on reasons behind its adoption of the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, as its candidate for the Saturday's governorship candidate in the State.

The Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abayomi Arabambi, who made the clarification while speaking with newsmen in Abeokuta,  said leaders of the party adopted the incumbent Governor Abiodun for the Saturday's gubernatorial election, because the LP has no candidate for the election.

He said, since the party does not have governorship candidate in the State, LP members cannot sit idle and fold their arms on the day of election and waste their votes.

Citing what he described as precedent, Arabambi said,

before the Presidential election, Valentine Ozigbo, the  Special Adviser to Peter Obi on Technical Matters, publicly advised that where we don't have candidates, we can vote any other candidates of our choice. 

He said, "base on that advice and since we don't have a governorship candidate in Ogun State, we must have a choice, we now look at someone who is very close to the Labour Party ideology, somebody who believes in inclusiveness, accountability and in all respects, we adopted the Governor Abiodun.

"We cannot just sit down on election day and fail to vote. We cannot just waste over hundred thousand votes that we cast for our Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi. That was why we choose Governor Dapo Abiodun."

The LP Chieftain, said those who were criticising the action of the leaders, were the people that joined the party after the emergence of Peter Obi as the presidential candidate of the party.

"Some of these political misfits, despots, scavengers and opportunist took up residence  and life-line on Labour Party financial status to become super rich overnight with their desperate aim to establish the phantom believes that they  ‘’own’’ the Labour Party, by shutting out divergent interrogations".

"The Labour Party electoral rendition is a thrilling experiment of what could be; of political possibilities, of change, but it appears with the manifestly corrupt nature of some people, couple with all manners of established criminal contradiction, conspiracies and infractions, the party is doomed to crumple under the weight of its own afflictions and internal contradictions".  

"We, as party leaders thought the arrowhead will be able to handle our party well, but at the end of the day, he goes for anything that has money as his surname."

While also stating that the LP would not field candidates for the 26 House of Assembly  seats, Arabambi declared that the party, would not adopt candidates for the position.