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From Tony Osauzo, Benin
In line with her promise at her inauguration to bring unity to the party, the new Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Edo State chapter of Labour Party (LP), Hon. Mrs. Elizabeth Ativie, yesterday, announced that her executive has set up machinery to reunite and bring back aggrieved members within one month.
Besides, she pledged to ensure victory for the party in the September 21 governorship election and called for unity of all members, alleging that there were external forces trying to destroyed the party and therefore cautioned members to be wary of such people.
Addressing a press conference in Benin City, Ativie also condemned those calling for the removal of the National chairman of the party, Julius Abure, claiming that they were being sponsored besides the fact that they don’t have the powers to remove the National Chairman, the way they tried to do.
“The National Chairman in his tenure has recorded a lot of successes, how do you judge a man? Is it not by his works and successes and failures? So his successes are more than his failures and of-course we are insiders, we know that some other parties who are not very comfortable with the love of the masses for the Labour Party, are the ones that are igniting problems in the LP. The National Chairman can only be removed by a National Convention, that is what the constitution of the LP says.
“Some say I have come to do an Esan agenda, I don’t know how an Uhunmwonde person that I am will come and do an Esan agenda, I don’t know how I can manufacture an Esan candidate for the Labour Party now, is it possible? Will I not be happy that I produced a governor?
“I wish to vehemently and completely condemn in strong terms the attitude of some persons who invaded the Secretariat of the Labour Party in Abuja recently.The invaders were sponsored by some persons who do not wish the party well. Those protesters were hired to undermine the Labour Party as they were rented from a nearby market in Abuja.
“Barrister Julius Abure, the National Chairman of Labour Party is a jolly good fellow who has moved the party to an enviable height. We were all witnesses when Julius Abure came into office, those who were there battered the party, they fought, went to court and abandoned the party, the national chairman at the state level picked up the piece and pieces of the party and grew the party to the state it is now.
“Under his leadership in the party, we now have a Governor, National and state Assembly members in the Labour Party. Such a person should be well commended and congratulated.
“Those trying to divide the Labour Party should have a rethink and work for the party to move forward in Nigeria, Ativie said”.
She debunked claim by former State Chairman of the party, Kelly Ogbaloi, that he is still the state chairman.
“The tenure of that executive has expired, they have even stayed more than the six years because the law says three years and if you have done so well, you can be re-elected for another three years but they have stayed for about 12 years, their tenure has expired and since after the primary, that executive has not been able to bring all back together and that informed the appointment of this caretaker committee to be able to see the party through this election because the way we were going, there is no way we would have been able to work assiduously to win election, that is the truth and their tenure has ended”, Ativie said.
She promised to work with the already inaugurated campaign council of the party in the state.
“We are going to build on what we meet on ground, we are not going to disorganize the campaign council but in the process, if we find anybody that is carrying out a function and we know he or she does not have the capacity to carry out that function, we will get somebody else to do it because we want to win election, Labour Party wants to win election and by the time we put our house in order, we will do that because the masses are in love the party and they are seeing how we are going to put our house in order and that we must do quickly”, she said.
