The Chairman of the Labour Party in Ogun State, Michael Ashade, tells DAUD OLATUNJI his position on the claims by Banji Omotosho that the party’s structure in the South-West had been merged with the All Progressives Congress
A chieftain of the Labour Party in the South-West, Banji Omotosho, said on Monday that the structure of your party in the South-West has been merged with the APC, is that the consensus?
Banji Omotosho used to be a member of the Labour Party but he has since been expelled for engaging in anti-party activities. He was expelled by the party around 2019 and 2020, so he cannot take any decision on behalf of the party. He has since been expelled by the leadership of the party.
Could you expatiate on that?
It is the national leadership of the party. Omotosho can even be expelled by the leader of his ward. Our constitution allows that.
How did it come to you when you heard that he merged the Labour Party structure in the South-West with the APC?
It is not true. No party structure has been merged with another. Every structure in the South-West is intact. We lost nothing. Omotosho did not have the structure of our party in the South-West, so he has no such authority.
Omotosho said the Labour Party structure was shaking, how true is that sir?
That is not true. He is not in a position to speak for our party. He did that just because of what he wanted to get. He wants to use the Labour Party to make some gains from the All Progressives Congress and their presidential aspirant (Asiwaju Bola Tinubu).
How strong is your party structure in the South-West because it is believed that the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party are dominant in the region?
As I speak with you, the structure of the party in the South-West is still intact and strong. Whether shaking or not, we are not with him and he is not a member of the party. If you are not part of a people, how do you put yourself in a position to speak for them.
Omotosho also said the Labour Party is not a viable party. What do you say to that?
We have a presidential candidate who has enjoyed national and international support from all age groups and we all know our party is the best platform for him to realise his dream. If the Labour Party is not viable, why would he have chosen it and why will the party and the candidate have the kind of unprecedented support they have now? Labour Party remains a viable platform. Even the opposition knows, but you can also understand if they don’t want to admit it openly.
He also described the Labour Party as a failed platform that doesn’t have any governor or senator on its platform, how do you respond to that?
Those things are not news. Hasn’t the Labour Party produced a governor before? We had a governor (Dr Olusegun Mimiko from Ondo State) who contested and won two terms as a governor on that platform. Also the current deputy senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege after won his senatorial election in 2015 on the Labour Party platform, before he defected to the APC. We are not denying that we have not produced a president before, but we have won other seats. Those are realities and nobody should deceive others.
Who is the leader of your party in the South-West?
The deputy national chairman, Alhaji Bashiru Apapa, is the leader in the South-West.
The South-West is a strong geopolitical zone in terms of the number of electorate. What is the strength of your party in the zone?
I can’t give you specific statistics but there is no denying the fact that the party has continued to gain traction, numerical strength and influence and it’s getting stronger.
How strong is the party in Ogun State?
We have membership in all the local government areas, and like I said, it keeps getting stronger. It’s obvious for everyone to see. The acceptance is evident in the campaign rallies we have across the country, Ogun State inclusive.
Do you think your party can defeat the two dominant parties?
As long as we have produced candidates, we have confidence that we can win. So, it depends on the electorate. We are not going to undermine the power of choice the electorate possess, but we are confident of victory. Until the results are announced, every party relies on the work it has done and the programmes it has sold to the voters, and after that, it would have to leave the rest to the voters to decide. As far as we are concerned in the Labour Party, we are confident that we will win. You don’t expect me to tell you otherwise. We have candidates in every state and the signals are positive.
Is there any penalty for someone who has been expelled by the party and is still using the name of the party?
It is criminal and it is left to the civil department. The leadership of the party will take action as it deems fit.
What is your message to the South-West voters?
The South-West Labour Party is standing very strong. We are not divided and we are one big family. We are fully in support of our presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi and we are confident that he has good plans and he will execute all his promises. He is capable, willing and ready to deliver Nigeria from its current challenges.
