LP legal adviser says dissolution of Rivers exco by Kenneth Okonkwo illegal

The crisis rocking Labour Party (LP) in Rivers State deepened, yesterday, as the National Legal Adviser of the party, Akingbade Oyelekan, dismissed the dissolution of the party’s executive council in the State.

Recall that spokesperson for the LP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Kenneth Okonkwo, in a statement, yesterday, announced the dissolution of the state council over alleged anti-party activities and corruption.

But Oyelekan, while briefing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, said Okonkwo is not a member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and does not have the powers to dissolve the party executives.

The party’s legal adviser said that the decision was faulty and would not stand.

Oyelekan said the process for announcing the dissolution of the executives was not in tandem with the party’s constitution.
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He also explained that the spokesperson for the PCC, Okonkwo, was not the right person to issue such a statement, adding that only the National Secretary of the National Working Committee (NWC) or National Publicity Secretary are constitutionally allowed to make such announcement.

He said: “I want to make this clarification because it’s expedient and very important so that we don’t continue to fall into error.

“We discovered and read on some news platform that the Rivers State executive was dissolved by my friend, Kenneth Okonkwo, and I felt that was out of place. Why? There are constitutional procedures for taking such action.

“Our party’s constitution has lay-down procedures to dissolve executives or a member of the party executive that erred. The process encompasses setting up a disciplinary committee that will listen to the issue. The disciplinary committee will recommend to NWC the appropriate measure or punishment to be taken or a punitive measure to be imposed on such a person or executives.”

He said though the PCC exists under the LP, its spokesman could not speak for the LP NEC.

He urged Okonkwo not to meddle with the internal affairs of the LP, maintaining that the Rivers State Executives still constitutionally stand until the right processes are followed.

Similarly, the LP National Vice President, South-South, Prince Favour Reuben, said: “Whatever has happened in the LP in Rivers State in the name of dissolving the executives is considered null and void. The decision is from PCC and not from NWC. Okonkwo knows that what he did was wrong and cannot stand in front of the law. The Rivers State executives still remains.”