Labour Party (LP) in Lagos State has indefinitely suspended six of its chieftains, including the former chairman, Mr. Kayode Salako, over alleged anti-party and disparaging activities in the just-concluded elections.
The LP Secretary in the state, Mr. Sam Okpala, made this known at a news conference yesterday at the party’s secretariat in Ikeja.
He listed the suspended leaders to include: Mr. Moshood Salvador (LP senatorial candidate, Lagos West), Mr. Mutiu Okunola (House of Reps candidate, Ikeja Constituency) and Messrs. Theodore Ezeunara, Olumide Adesoyin and Opeyemi Taiwo.
He said the suspension followed the party’s reception and ratification of the report of the Disciplinary Committee set up to investigate acts of anti-party activities levelled against the leaders.
Explaining that the decision was taken at the State Working Committee meeting held on March 31, Okpala said the affected leaders had been found culpable of acts inimical to the progress of LP.
He said,
“Labour Party in Lagos State discovered that there were a lot of anti-party activities committed by people, who claimed to be members of the party in Lagos State.
“Our post mortem of what really transpired and happened during the general election revealed that a lot of people, who called themselves members of the party, were indeed working for the opposition.
“With that information, the LP in Lagos State set up a disciplinary committee headed by one of the deputy chairmen of the party to look into these allegations.
“As an obedient party that adheres to the rule of law, the committee gave everyone involved a fair hearing and opportunity to defend themselves and clear their names.
“At the end of the exercise, the report was tendered before the LP state working committee and at the meeting held on March 31, the report of the disciplinary committee was accepted and ratified for implementation.”
He said of the seven chieftains involved, Mr. Sunbo Onitiri said he had resigned his membership of the LP.
“In obedience to the relevant sections of our constitution, the party took the decision to suspend them from being members of the party with immediate effect.
“The essence is to act as a deterrent to others who may want to toe that inglorious path again,” he added.
Okpala said the party could not accept having enemies within its fold.
He said the affected officers openly demonstrated solidarity and preference to work with and for the candidates of another party during the polls.
According to him, the affected leaders have consistently been disparaging/denigrating the image of the party candidates as well as the state leadership of the party without decorum.
He said their actions had brought LP to disrepute, hence the suspension with immediate effect.
Okpala hailed Lagos residents and Nigerians for believing in the LP’s vision and philosophy of bringing about a new Nigeria and for supporting the party in the February 25 and March 18 general election.
On the national leadership crisis of the party, Okpala said the Lagos State chapter would continue to stand with the LP National Chairman, Mr. Julius Abure and other national officers.
He said the court ex parte order, restraining the LP national chairman and five other national officers of the party from parading themselves as leaders of the party, were the handiwork of detractors, who wanted to stop the party from the mission to reclaim its alleged stolen mandate.
He said,
“We want to pass a vote of confidence in our national chairman and other leaders of the party. They have done so much for the party.
“The leaders have committed all they got to the success of the Labour Party.”
It was reported that the event was attended by the LP state working committee members.
