By James Ogunnaike, ABEOKUTA
Labour Party, yesterday, debunked rumour making the round that it conducted parallel Presidential primaries that produced a factional Presidential candidate, in the person of one Samson Uchenna.
The party, in a statement issued by the Acting National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi Oluwafemi and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, noted that the party never had parallel primaries.
Arabambi argued that though Uchenna was a Presidential aspirant on the platform of Labour Party, he withdrew his nominations to support Mr Peter Obi voluntarily.
The statement read: “the attention of Labour Party has been drawn to the criminal activities of PDP Vanguard against the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi by falsely claiming that our former presidential aspirant by the name, Samson Uchenna has emerged as a factional presidential candidate on the platform of Labour Party.
“Labour Party here states categorically that this Samson Uchenna is not in anyway our Party’s presidential candidate. He is an aspirant on the platform of Labour Party who withdrew his nominations to support Mr Peter Obi voluntarily.
“The @PDPVanguard as an agent of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is hereby advised to stay on the path of professionalism and avoid taking sides with faceless people who have no bearing with the legitimate political activities of the Labour Party (LP) on very weight issues as the transparently free, democratically credible, free and fair presidential primaries that brought in Peter Gregory Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State as the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the May 30, 2022 primaries that took place in Asaba, the Delta State capital in South South Nigeria.
“Labour Party wishes to commend the sportsmanship of Sampson Uchenna Charles who was one of the four Presidential aspirants that voluntarily stepped down thereby paving the way for Peter Obi as the sole aspirant culminating in his emergence as the Labour Party’s sole 2023 presidential candidate”.
Labour Party therefore challenged the PDP Vanguard to provide details of venue and date of the convention that produced Samson Uchenna and whether it was supervised by the INEC.
“We in Labour Party are aware that this is a mere rubbish being pushed by the jinxed opposition with the knowledge and acknowledged bias for nauseating and baseless internet misinformation. It is highly unethical and despicable.
“We happen to know that the PDP Vanguard who did author the criminal lies is aware and it knows beyond all doubts that it is the same PDP that has destroyed the economy of this country in the past 16years.
“It is very understandable that the PDP with the liability of their party candidate as represented should be jittery because of the emergence of the new sheriff in town Peter Obi on the platform of Labour Party with records of good and undisputed records of fine governance”.
