The Labour Party has warned the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata to stay off the party, saying that the ex-NBA president remains a mole planted within the party.
Labour Party in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by Dr Abayomi Arabambi accused Olumide Akpata of being Governor Obaseki’s mole in the party.
The statement said, “Labour Party Edo State is in for a serious business and not a political orphanage, where all manners of politically spent forces or junks can be deposited”.
In the meantime, the party has unveiled a timetable and schedule of activities for the upcoming 2024 bye-elections, following the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the National and State Assembly bye-elections and that of Edo and Ondo state governorship election
The timetable according to the Party National Publicity Secretary, Dr Abayomi Arabambi, said the sale of nominations, expressions of interest, and delegate forms will begin on Wednesday 27th December 2023.
The party also gave guidelines for the conduct of primaries for the forthcoming elections in Edo and Ondo States, which come up on Saturday, 24th September 2024 and Saturday, 16th November 2024 respectively.
The announcement said members of the Labour Party who want to participate in the forthcoming elections as gubernatorial candidates in Edo and Ondo States are to cough out a whopping sum of N27 million for Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms.
According to the timetable of the party jointly signed by Prince Reuben Favour, National Organizing Secretary and Dr Abayomi Arabambi, the Party’s Publicity Secretary, the Expression of Interest form for the governorship position goes for N2.5 million while the Nomination Form is N25 million.
For the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly, the total sums of N12 million, N6.5 million and N1.5 million are to be paid for these positions respectively for Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms.
According to the statement, the two forms will be available with proof of payments of the fees through bank tellers to the party’s National Treasurer, Roland Daramola who will then issue the party’s receipt to the payee.
It is the party’s receipt that such aspirants will use to purchase their forms from the National Organising Secretary at the party’s Secretariat in Abuja.
Female members of the party and persons with disabilities (PWD) are to pay for Expression of Interest forms, only while they are exempted from payment of nomination forms.
The delegate form of the Labour Party for the forthcoming elections goes for N5,000 only. However, only financial members with evidence of payments of membership dues of N100 monthly for a minimum of six months before the election will be allowed to elect delegates.
All payments are to be paid into the party’s account at the First Bank.
Meanwhile, the release stated that the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms which commenced today, 27th December, 2023 ends on 2nd January, 2024 while submission of these forms terminates the next day.
The party insisted that the composition of it’s committees for screening, screening appeals, delegates elections, primary elections and appeals will also end by 2nd January as screening proper for all aspirants will end by 4th January 2024.
Screening appeals will be entertained on 5th January, along with the selection of delegates and appeals of the selection.
Furthermore, the party warns all aspirants at all levels not to pay into the party through the restrained former National Chairman, Julius Abure, saying that anyone who patronizes Julius Abure does so at his or her own risk because such a person will be made to pay another money to the party.
The party has already notified INEC concerning the timetables.
