…Insists He Must Hand-Over
There is a fresh crisis in the Edo State chapter of the Labour Party a few weeks before the conduct of the governorship primary election as a pressure group within the party, Labour Party Integrity Group (LPIC) has given a seven-day ultimatum to the state chairman of the party, Kelly Ogbaloi to handover all instruments of office to one Ehiwe Ikuoyemwen who it said is the state acting chairman.
The LPIC said the request for Ogbaloi to hand over all instruments of office in the possession of Ogbaloi was contained in a letter dated 5th January 2024 claiming that he has completed his constitutional two terms of six years from 2013 to 2019.
The group in a statement signed by Ikuoyenwen, Comrade Jegede Idemudia, and Hon Aminu Abdullahi and copied to the Inspector General of Police, Edo State Commissioner of Police, and the LP Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi among others asked Ogbaloi to henceforth desist from carrying out official activities.
“Tender all administrative documents, hard copy and electronic, inventory of assets to date, an account of all funds, revenues, and assets received in the name of, on behalf of the Labour Party.
“In view of the exhaustive effusion of your maximum constitutional tenure, desist from undertaking any function, public/media statement, or activity of any kind on behalf of the Labour Party at any level”.
The group also presented a supporting document dated 30th August 2023 from Akingbade Oyelekan & Co chambers which claimed that the state exco had been dissolved and a caretaker appointed.
But Ogbaloi denied the claims saying “Ogbaloi has not been removed and he will continue to operate until a competent body of the LP, the NWC and the Congress of the party call a congress and until then I remain the chairman of the Labour Party.
Further to this is that the groups that may have made this are the groups that are seeking to reap where they did not sow, they are no more members of the Labour Party as of today and even if any one of them remains as a member, they are at best on suspension from the party.”
