The 12 other members of the party suspended alongside Akingbade included the state Women Leader, Mrs. Susan Ojo.The suspension order was slammed on the affected members for alleged factionalisation.The party’s state Chairman, Adebayo Bello, announced the suspension at a press conference in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
He explained that the suspended 11 local government party chairmen had attended a meeting aimed at creating a faction within the party.Bello also accused the suspended members of supporting an effort to undermine the petition filed by the LP presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, currently before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
According to Bello, the suspended officials were trying to take advantage of the internal conflicts within the LP at the national level to create divisions in the state chapter of the party.On discovering the intention of these members, the LP state executive committee held a meeting on Thursday, May 11 during which members decided to support the National Working Committee led by Barrister Julius Abure and to suspend those who were working against the party’s unity.
Bello further explained that the goal of the suspended members was to establish parallel structures at both the national and state levels in order to support a dubious agenda aimed at sabotaging the legal battle to reclaim the mandate of Mr. Peter Obi and Dr. Datti Baba-Ahmed in the last February presidential election.
He said: “The intention is to create parallel structures at the national level and the state to lend support to the dirty agenda of scuttling the legal struggle of reclaiming the mandate of Mr. Peter Obi and Dr. Datti Baba-Ahmed in the 2023 presidential election.
“We observe that if the activities of these undemocratic persons are not checked on time, it will either weaken the Labour Party structure in Osun or collapse it totally.“Barr. Samuel Akingbade (National Legal Adviser), Mrs. Susan Ojo (State Women Leader) and 11 local government chairmen of our party in Osun State who participated in a meeting organised by the National Legal Adviser and the State Woman Leader are hereby suspended from the party indefinitely.
“These members stand suspended for anti-party activities and gross misconduct. This decision will be forwarded to the National Working Committee of the Labour Party and other relevant bodies, including all security agencies for further action.
”Bello gave the assurance that the party leaders in Osun State were committed to preserving the unity of the LP and maintaining its strength as a powerful political platform, adding that their focus was on cultivating an environment that nurtures visionary and transformative leadership within the party.
