Some Labour Party’s (LP) support groups have rejected the composition of the party’s 1,234-member Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) unveiled in Abuja on Wednesday ahead of 2023 general elections.
Unveiling the team, the Director-General of the LP PCC, Dr Doyin Okupe said that retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Zarewa, would serve as its chairman.
The Labour Party is compromised of several movements, allies and groups who merged into the party in the build up to political party’s primaries in May to form a third force in the 2023 elections.
Reacting on the PPC list in a statement on Thursday in Lagos jointly signed by Ms Bilikis Bello, the Communications Executive, the National Consultative Front (NCFront) and Mr Kennedy Iyere, Convener, 40Million Ballots Movement, the support groups demanded a review of the list.
“The stakeholders and allies of the NCFront-3rd Force Movement, who adopted the Labour Party as its 3rd Force Mega Party for the 2023 Elections in May this year with over 20 million members condemned the PCC list.
“This list only accommodates some known opportunists, inflitrators and political jobbers who will constitute a major liability to the Party’s Campaign and the 2023 rescue mission of Nigerians.
“The Labour Party Allies and Stakeholders also took a swipe at the list for being filled with wrong positioning and placements of members and for being heavily lopsided due to lack of consultations required for such important and sensitive exercise.
“This happened in spite of sending a robust list of leaders, zonal, state coordinators and key associates of the NCFront to both the leadership of Party and Campaign Organisation to enrich the PCC and make it inclusive and resourceful.
“The inputs and effort of the NCFront, which is the largest Coalition in the Labour Party’s 2023 rescue mission, was jettison as the final list was heavily coloured by favoritism,” the statement said.
It quoted Bello as saying that NCFront leadership, stakeholders and allies demanded for a complete overhauling of the demoralising and demobilising PCC list before next week.
“The list in some cases include the names of some known active members of PDP and APC and opportunistic elements, who are used to reaping from where they have not sown,” it quoted Bello as saying.
Also, Iyere was quoted as saying, “Leadership and Stakeholders of the 3rd Force Movement however warn that failure to review and correct the PCC List by this weekend will be followed by a major leadership and stakeholders meeting of all aggrieved Allies of the 3rd Force Movement.
“This is to review the movement’s continued alliance in Labour Party, which may lead into fresh negotiations with other like-minded political parties and allies, who will be appreciative and accommodating of its rescue agenda with full respect for the teeming members and leadership of the 3rd Force Movement.”
Some members of Peter Obi/ Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed Presidential Campaign Council are Mr Oseloka Obaze, who would serve as Deputy Director-General and Campaign Manager, and Alhaji Yusuf Maitama, Deputy Director-General (North).
Also in the council are Mr Yunusa Tanko, Spokesperson and Mr Clement Ojukwu, Secretary.
Mr Denzel Ketenbe is Deputy Director-General (South); Mr Isaac Balami, Deputy Campaign Manager 1, and Mrs Eyitemi Taire, Deputy Campaign Manager 3, among others.
