Labour Party (LP) in Ekiti has described Tuesday’s defection by its former Caretaker Chairman, Mr Banji Omotosho, as an attempt to distract the party’s attention from the June 18 governorship election.
Omotosho and some members of the party defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday.
Reacting to the defection, LP’s secretary, Mr Vincent Adesua, stated in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday that the story about it was misleading.
Reports have it that Omotosho had listed chairmen and secretaries of LP in the 16 local government areas of the state as those who defected with him.
Adesua advised the defectors to stop parading themselves as former LP members.
He added that Omotosho was appointed as the Caretaker Chairman, but seized to occupy the seat since January 2021 when the party’s headquarters terminated his appointment on Jan. 14, 2021.
He described the defectors as mere meddlers sponsored to distract the LP and the general public from the party’s political ideologies.
He stated that the party was strategising and campaigning for Mr Gbenga Daramola and his running mate, Hon. Ibrahim Onile toward the June 18 governorship election.
Adesuwa warned that if the alleged impersonation by Omotosho and others were not checked, the party might be forced to apply legal means to redress the issue.
He noted that their defection was announced on the eve of the presidential primaries of the party at Asaba, where LP stakeholders across the country picked a candidate to fly its flag in 2023.
He also refuted Omotosho’s claim that he left the LP with all the 16 local government chairmen and secretary and other executive members.
He added that those Omotosho listed were in Asaba as delegates to elect the party’s presidential candidate.
Adesuwa stated that the LP had come to stay and no amount of campaign of calumny would distract the principles of the party under the National Chairmanship of Mr Julius Abure.
He urged party members and the general public to discountenance Omotosho’s claim of defection, but to continue with their campaign moves to ensure victory for the party at the governorship election.
Reacting to the statement, Omotosho insisted that he had left the party with his loyalists and nothing would change their stand.