You cannot build legality on illegality, it cannot stand, you cannot build this house on a mud and expect it to stand. An acting National Secretary cannot sign a document that will make Obi the President. chairman of the Labour Party, Callistus Okafor, speaks with FRIDAY OLOKOR on the crisis in the party and why he is in court

The Labour Party has been in the news of recent because of controversies at a time the people believe you should consolidate and ensure a Peter Obi presidency. Why?

Like you rightly said, this is the time the Labour Party should come together, become one and be able to take over the leadership of this nation come 2023 because of the emergence of Peter Obi. But the truth of the matter is this; the problem of the Labour Party did not start because of Obi, the problem of Labour Party started since 2017. In a convention that was held on October 11, 2014 in Akure, Ondo State, I emerged as the Deputy National Chairman (South), Julius Abure emerged as Deputy National Secretary, the late Abdulkadir Abdulsalam of blessed memory emerged as the National Chairman and after that, everything was okay.

When Momodu came to the Labour Party to contest election, Dan Nwanyanwu, in his wisdom, asked him, ‘what do you have to say? You want to contest presidential election? He (Momodu) said he had millions of followers on Facebook and Dan Nwanyanwu told him that Nigerian election is not won on Facebook

How would you describe the challenges of strikes, industrial disputes which have become a recurring decimal in the country?

You see why the Labour Party should be the ruling party in this country. It is the political party owned by the masses. Tell me, why is it that people are going on strike? If you do the right thing, if the President or the leader or if the political party does the right things, pays these workers their allowances and all that, nobody will go on strike. That is the truth. So, I am telling you that if you talk about the political party that will rule this country, and this country will become a better country tomorrow, give it to the Labour Party.

Would you subscribe that the Labour Party should merge with the “bigger parties” in 2023?

Unfortunately, no; I don’t believe in that. The Labour Party has the strength, human strength. It has the highest members in this country. They can stand alone, why not? I don’t believe in that.

Amidst all these, it is believed that the Independent National Electoral Commission recognised the Abure faction of the LP. Why is it so?

When A.A. Salam died, remember that Abure and the national chairman were the people who had the power to write letters to INEC. When the then national chairman died, the right thing was that Abure and I would start writing letters and you know INEC, the moment they see one of the signatures, they will honour it. But when INEC got there and saw that an acting National Secretary transformed not even to acting national chairman but substantive chairman, INEC themselves knew that it is was wrong, but nobody challenged it.

INEC knows our constitution, INEC knows that constitutionally, the acting National Secretary cannot assume office as a chairman but INEC has no powers to raise any objection until someone says no to it, and if someone raises an objection, INEC will concur. I bet anything for it, that if INEC themselves knows now that the moment any court order comes, it (INEC) will not waste one second before removing his name because they know the truth, they know the right thing to do. It is law, it is a constitutional issue.

Leader of the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said he warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader and frontline presidential aspirant of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, against supporting President Muhammadu Buhari.

He spoke to Daily Trust against the backdrop of the controversy generated by his comment last Thursday in Abeokuta where he said he ensured the victory of Buhari in 2015.

The president, through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, replied Tinubu, saying many people contributed to his victory.

Adebanjo recalled that he warned Tinubu a long time ago that Buhari could not be trusted when he was packaging him as the best to be the president of Nigeria.

He stated that everything he said about Buhari had come to pass even though they said he was saying rubbish then.

“Those who doubted me said the old man was just talking rubbish. I said, ‘okay let’s wait and see.’ I won’t talk more until they finally ditch themselves out. By the time they finally ditch themselves, that’s when I will comment.

“This is not the time for me to say he should leave the party, I told him that a long time ago. You should refer to what people have said and what I particularly have told him.”

TheLoneCitizen:
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charlesemeka85:
latest rumor is that man united management wants to sign him as a gift for incoming ten hag

Leader of Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has said that presidential aspirants from the South-West geopolitical zone including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, should forget their presidential ambitions.

He said it was the turn of the South-East to produce Nigeria’s next President after the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in May 2023.

The elder statesman made his position known in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday.

According to him, it is an injustice for a South-West President to emerge in 2023 as ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo from Ogun State ruled from 1999 to 2007; while Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, also from Ogun State, has been in government since May 2015 and would have spent eight years in power by May 2023.

The 94-year old elder statesman added that the South-South zone has also had a shot at both President and Vice-President positions with ex-President Goodluck Jonathan between 2007 and 2010 (as VP) and from 2010 to 2015 (as President).

Adebanjo, however, said for Nigeria to have another President, the country must first be secured.

The nonagenarian said, “Right now, is there a country for them to be President? There must be one country first before you can talk of an election. Is this the country Jonathan handed over to Buhari? Whether a Southern or a Northern candidate, let us unite everyone. We can’t get everyone united until we change this constitution.

“Are you safe? Talk about security. How am I sure that I won’t be shocked when I go to the police station, when electoral officers, soldiers, and policemen are being shot dead and I can’t travel to Maiduguri safely?

“All those who are clamouring for Presidency, be it Jagaban (Tinubu) or Osinbajo, they should assure us of our safety first, that the country is safe, that we are one, then we talk of who is going to be President. They should forget about their ambitions now until there is safety. Nobody can go to the South-East now, and we are all living in denial.”

Asked if he was supporting Tinubu, Osinbajo, or any President from the South-West, the Afenifere leader said, “How can I back a South-West candidate? That is not equity. Has Obasanjo not done so for eight years? Has Osinbajo not done eight years as VP? Has Jonathan not done five years as President? Is the South-East not part of Nigeria?

“We want peace and equity. It is the turn of the South-East. I don’t talk ambiguously. It is the South-East that the thing must go; there is no doubt about that but my anxiety now is that before we say, South-East, have we got a country? Let us settle that before we say South-East is the answer. I am not ambivalent about it at all.”

gustav25:
45 more mins !!! Ghana our motherland !! Nigerians think football is won by the number of players in top leagues

Subzero47:
This Napoli team won't even be top 5 in premier league

13large:
Why are Napoli trying to sell their talented asset “Osimehn” (something is off) they’re even doing a positive PR job to increase his value because his coach even compared him to Maradona

13large:

You’re telling or asking me? Can you categorically prove such remark with anecdotal evidence? Aka ‘how you sure say I nor watch the game?”

13large:


The problem with you biased analyst is that, you’re quick to castigate Napoli players whenever osimehn doesn’t excel at a game and exculpate him of any blame, While denigrating his teammates. Remember, if you’re making statements like “ these guys are bad at football” it also include Osimehn because he is a record signing. Whenever they lose, people are quick to blame the players while ‘excluding’ osimehn of any blame, while whenever they’re winning, we’re quick to praise solely Osimehn