The recommendation for expulsion was made known through a press statement that was issued by the state publicity secretary of the party, Tokunbo Peters, stating that the recommendation was due to various alleged anti-party activities carried out by the affected executive members of the party.
Peters said the recommendation had been communicated formally to the National Secretariat of the party last week.
He said Arabambi and Ashade were recently suspended by their wards and Local Government Areas executive members in the state and were later recommended for expulsion from the party by the state Exco of the party.
The statement read that others recommended for expulsion were; Feyisayo Michael, Tosin Meadows, Seun Ogunyemi, and Lizzy Oliseh-Samuel who were former State Secretary, State Organising Secretary, State Auditor and State Financial Secretary respectively.
He said that their suspension and recommendation for expulsion, which was communicated formally to the national secretariat of the party last week was premised on various anti-party activities engaged in by Arabambi, Ashade and their cohorts to destabilise, factionalise and bring the party into disrepute by acting as sponsored agents of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“The suspension and recommendation for the expulsion of Mr Arabambi, Ashade and their cohorts was made known today in a statement released in Abeokuta by Tokunbo Peters, Publicity Secretary of the party in Ogun state.
“The statement further disclosed that before their eventual suspension, several warnings and cautions were given to make them refrain from their anti party activities, especially through a peace and reconciliatory meeting which was mediated by a frontline elder statesman.
“But rather than turn a new leaf, Arabambi and his cohorts became more recalcitrant and belligerent to satisfy their paymasters in the ruling APC.
“The party under the able leadership of both Peter Obi and Julius Abure, presidential candidate and National Chairman respectively, is now firmly in the grips of committed professionals and conscious youths, who have now repositioned the party as a formidable force in Nigeria and therefore can now favourably compete for all elective political offices in the country.
“The party admonished the Inter-Party Advisory Council in Ogun state to desist from relating with Michael Ashade and his cohorts, as they no longer hold any executive positions in the Labour Party.”
When contacted for a response, Ashade described the caretaker exco in the state as invalid.
He said his faction would soon press criminal charges against the other faction.
He said, “Who are the people that suspended us? Whenever they are suspending, they would show their faces. When they said they were suspending the national chairman, were they hiding their faces? We saw their faces; they held a meeting.
“So, this one that they said they suspended, where did they meet? He does not have the right. He has been expelled from the party.
“Someone that does not exist cannot stand on something, very soon, we will take it up in court and we will see to it that he is criminally prosecuted.
“It’s not just for anti-party, he will be criminally prosecuted, so, all these, he’s standing on nothing, I don’t know where this is coming from, I’m just hearing you telling me now.”
He questioned where they had gathered to conclude on the suspension calling those proposing their expulsion as afterthoughts claiming that they are trying to see what they can do to become leaders.
“We have not been removed, we still maintain our position; the party is still in our control,” he insisted.
