A frontline Labour Party (LP) governorship aspirant in the forthcoming 2024 Edo State governorship election, Barrister Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, has distanced himself from the allegation making the rounds that he sponsored the anti-Abure protest that took place at the state secretariat of the party in Benin City on Sunday.
LEADERSHIP reports that the LP national chairman, Julius Abure, has been having a running battle with some party stakeholders in his home state of Edo in recent times over the governorship poll.
But, Akpata said that since he joined the Labour Party, some persons have been jittery with his acceptability, noting that he remains the aspirant to beat.
Recall that some members and supporters of the party who were mostly youths besieged the state party secretariat in their hundreds on Sunday and accused the national chairman of the party, Barrister Julius Abure, of alleged support for some governorship aspirants ahead of the party’s governorship primary election to be held later this month.
However, reacting to the development and his alleged link to the protest during a press conference in Benin City, the governorship hopeful said he never knew anything about the protest neither was he in town, adding that “the unfounded allegations and rumours are from persons who are not comfortable with my joining Labour Party.”
The immediate-past President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) while condemning the act, said he’s in the Labour Party to build it by joining hands with other well-meaning party members, hence he wouldn’t have hands in such an act.
“The baseless rumours and insinuations that have been mischievously circulated that these protesters are carrying out my bidding are totally false, unfounded, and quite frankly ridiculous. My major concern is that, these allegations are coming from a very high quarters of my party. And this is why I called this press conference to refute it,” he said.
He added: “I am in the Labour Party to build it; by joining hands with other party faithfuls, and that is what I have been doing, and that is what I am going to do. I am not in Labour Party on national youth service. I am here as a permanent member, so no one can force me out. Any effort to force me out is in futility.”
On allegation of him being an agent of Governor Godwin Obaseki in the LP, Akpata said: “I have repeatedly denied it that I am not Governor Godwin Obaseki’s agent. I have rejected that label; I have rejected that toga. If you label me as Obaseki’s agent, then my aspiration is dead on arrival.
“Which message does Obaseki has that will make me to follow him? The schools that he did not build or the roads his government refused to tare? Or the primary health care centres his government refused to build for our people? Is that the message I want to send to the people? You can’t give what you do not have. As far as I am concerned, the PDP and Obaseki have not done well for our people and this is why I am coming out.”
According to the governorship aspirant, “those who are uncomfortable with my ambition have devised a means of trying to get me out of the race by labelling me Obaseki’s agent. So, it is very convenient for these individuals to look for any means to cast aspersions on me, my name and my character so as to create doubt in the minds of those who otherwise are in agreement with my aspiration.”
Akpata boasted that, “I have turned out to be an aspirant to beat in the Labour Party. I have approached this matter – politics with a totally different mindset and strategy.”