10th NASS: Labour Party Tackles Two Lawmakers-elect For Backing APC Zoning, Tinubu [Full Text]

The Labour Party (LP) has slammed two of its members, Hon Amobi Ogah and Hon. Obi Aguocha, over their position on the All Progressives Congress (APC) zoning formula and President Bola Tinubu leadership.

Naija News reports that the two law members-elect had expressed satisfaction with the APC zoning formula and spoke glowingly about the intellect and level of preparedness of President Ahmed Tinubu to govern Nigeria.

But the Labour Party, in a statement by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, distanced the party from the lawmakers-elect opinion.

The party also called on the lawmakers-elect to tender an apology to LP supporters, cautioning the two lawmakers and, by extension, any other member elected on the platform who chose to walk outside the agreed position and ideals of the party.

The statement reads: “The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party has been drawn to interviews granted by two of our House of Representatives members-elect, Hon. Amobi Ogah, and Hon. Obi Aguocha, wherein they expressed their satisfaction with the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the zoning formula of the All Progressives Congress, APC on the leadership of the 10th Assembly.

“The members-elect had, in their different interviews, said that they, alongside some of their colleagues, have “agreed to go towards government and party decision” on the zoning of the leadership of the national assembly.

“Though as newly elected lawmakers on the platform of the Labour Party, the Members-elect made the utterances which are clearly within their rights as individuals as enshrined in the laws of the land, however, the party has a view quite different from what the honourable members were quoted to have said.

“As individuals, the lawmakers do not have the mandate to speak for the party and therefore cannot claim to be standing on the platform of the Labour Party to speak, giving views that are diametrically opposed to ideals for which Labour Party stands for.

“Labour Party is presently in the tribunal hoping to retrieve our mandate, which was expressively given to our presidential candidate on the February 25, and every testament emanating from the tribunal points to the fact that Labour Party clearly won the election but was robbed. We have remained resolute to our belief that justice will be done and so soon.

“For the records, Labour Party has nothing against the personality of President Tinubu, however, we are challenging both the process and final outcome of the presidential election. We, as a party, insist that the route to His Excellency must be excellent, and anything other than that amounts to a mockery of democracy.

“We therefore caution the two lawmakers and, by extension, any other member elected on the platform of the Labour Party who chose to walk outside the agreed position and ideals of the party to desist from such trajectory and vain glory.

“The party has given a clear directives and will not condone any of its members who will not subsume to the supremacy of the party. We therefore demand that the affected lawmakers retrace their steps and tender unreserved apologies to the leadership of the party.”