Only Card Carrying Members To Make Delegate List – Edo LP Chairman

By Simeon OSAJIE

Edo State Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi has reiterated the party’s commitment to enlist card carrying members as delegates in the February 24 Governorship Primary Election.

Comrade Ogbaloi made the clarification while addressing newsmen at the Party’s secretariat in Benin City, Edo State capital.

According to LP Chairman, “that there is no level of protest by faceless individuals that will alter the party’s arrangement to enlist party officials as delegates in the primary election.

“The party is working in line with the constitution to ensure the primary election that will produce the party’s flagbearer is transparent and credible.”

Ogbaloi pointed out that allowing party officials to serve as delegates could be pervasive as they could use their positions to influence the transparency and credibility of the primary process.

He also stressed that despite the ugly and unfortunate incident on Sunday, 4th of February 2024 where some faceless individuals armed with dangerous weapons protested to the party secretariat, the leadership of the party had not deemed it necessary to accuse any aspirant of sponsoring the protest.

He however expressed surprise that it was read and listen to in news about a particular aspirant being defended by some persons.

“Despite the ugly experience on Sunday, we have not accused any Governorship Aspirant from our Party, but we were surprised at some persons who have been defending Barr. Olumide Akpata. So the question we are asking, who is accusing him of sponsoring the protest?

“With the way the defenses are coming even when we have not accused any aspirant, we are forced to believe that the guilty is already afraid, as he has not approach the leadership of the party up till now,” he added.

Condemning the protest, Ogbaloi described their demands as undemocratic, emphasizing that the party executives from State to Ward levels would not be delegates at the primary election on February 24.

“The National Chairman of the Party, Barr. Julius Abure remains the constituted authority in line with the party’s Constitution to preside over the affairs of the Party.

“The party’s Constitution clearly outlined that the party shall formulate and develop process on how to manage it’s political affairs, and this is what the National Executive Committee (NEC) has done and they are backed by the Constitution.

“According to NEC, our Congress is going to run from the ward to the local government where each local government will produce 5 persons per LGA, these persons will represent their LGAs at the Primary Election,” he emphasized.

Quoting the 2022 Amended Electoral Act, Comrade Ogbaloi cited section 84, Sub Section 8 pointing that a situation where political party chooses indirect primaries, it shall outline it’s regulations and the process to midwife the primary election. In this case, party officials are to allow card carrying members to participate in the democratic process and that is what we are doing.

“We will not give rooms to action that will undermine our integrity as far as the primary election is concerned. The process will be transparent as much as possible and that will prepare us to win the Governorship Election in the State.”

The Edo LP chairman further appeal to members of the party and the general public to disregard false insinuations from unauthorized quarters, stressing that the party leadership is poised to ensure the process of the primary election is transparent and credible.