Obi, Labour Party at loggerheads over presidential campaign council

Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi are at loggerheads over the composition of the party’s presidential campaign council.

According to Vanguard, while the party is still consulting on who are the group, Obi’s campaign organisation, led by Doyin Okupe who is the director general are going on with the constitution of the campaign council without carrying the party leadership along.

Okupe announced in a statement that the the campaign council is set to be inaugurated on Wednesday.

The party has, however, stated its ignorance to the development.

“The Director General, Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr Doyin Okupe cordially Invites you to a pre-campaign world press conference and the presentation of the presidential campaign list …” the statement which was signed by Emeka Edmond Onwuocha, on behalf of Okupe said.

A member of the party’s National Working Committee however told Vanguard that the party was yet to agree on any list.

“As I speak to you, the Labour Party has not okayed any list of members of the Presidential Campaign Council because there are yet-to-be-resolved issues.

“Most of us are of the opinion that our campaign council must be all-embracing and enjoy the national spread. We must not repeat the mistakes of the political parties we want to replace.

“Our presidential candidate is from the South, the DG of the campaign is also currently from the South. The provisional list I saw leaves out most of the north.

“There is no official of substance from the North East,  North West and the North Central for example.

“How can we campaign in these places when we know what we are up against with Atiku and Kwankwaso in the North and Tinubu in the South?

“Even the Diaspora Committee earlier inaugurated is almost exclusive to one section of the country,” he said.

When contacted, National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Arabambi Abayomi said: “I’m hearing about this (event) from you. We are having our National Working Committee meeting on Thursday, that is where issues about and around the campaign are discussed.”