LP disowns BoT chair, Nwanyanwu on adoption of Jonathan, postponement of elections

THE Labour Party (LP) has dissociated itself from a statement credited to its former National Chairman and chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT), Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, that the party has adopted President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its candidate in next month presidential election.

   National Chairman of the party, Abdul-Kadir Abdul-Salaam who addressed reporters alongside the National Secretary, Kayode Ajulo, in Akure, Ondo State capital during the weekend, said Nwanyawu had no mandate of the party to adopt the candidature of anybody for the party.

   The duo who expressed dismay at what they called “unilateral declaration” of the former Chairman, also cleared the air on Nwanyanwu’s reported call for the postponement of the February elections saying “there is absolutely no basis for that call.”

     The former Chairman was reported to have made these statements last week during a visit to President Jonathan where he also urged Nigerians to re-elect the president for a second term of office.

     According to Abdul-Salaam, “anybody that wants to seek relevance in the corridors of power should do so on individual basis and capacity and not to use a platform where he has no authority. Doing it even without the courtesy of consulting with stakeholders and leaders of the party makes it condemnable.

   “The issues that were commented upon by our former Chairman are very complicated and delicate and nobody can assume to speak for the rest of us without having the issues thoroughly thrashed and all angles explored.

    “The Labour Party as a political platform has not met within ourselves and stakeholders to consider any change in the election date. Whoever says that we are clamouring for a change is on his own because it is the Chairman and the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party that have the right to make policy statement.”

    On the adoption of a presidential candidate, the Chairman said, “we have fixed a meeting for next week to deliberate on who to support or not to support anybody at all. We are going to scrutinize all the candidates and pick one that satisfies our demand of what Nigeria needs now. We may not even pick anybody if we don’t find anyone meeting our demand.

   “Now that we have not even gone fully into the debates, how can anyone announce that we have picked our choice. Whoever say that on behalf of the LP is on his own.”