Ex-LP Campaign DG Osuntokun Resigns, Confirms New Party

A former Director-General of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun, has formally resigned from the Labour Party and pitched his tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Naijaonpoint reports that Osuntokun, a former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, confirmed his defection to journalists in Lagos, citing deep-seated internal crises and what he described as deliberate sabotage within the Labour Party.

Explaining his decision, Osuntokun accused those currently controlling the Labour Party of working against the party’s ideals and the country’s democratic interests.

“You should know that the people in control of the Labour Party are people who are just there as internal saboteurs,” he told Vanguard.

According to him, the party leadership was more interested in transactional politics than genuine nation-building.

“They are there to sell the party to the highest bidder, and it should not be to the interest of anybody who is authentically there,” Osuntokun stated.

The former LP chieftain further disclosed that his decision was influenced by the earlier exit of key political allies from the party.

“Look, in any case, the team with which I went to the Labour Party had already departed the Labour Party, that’s the Peter Obi group. So, that’s the long and short of it anyway,” he explained.

He added that the party was being deployed for interests that were inimical to national development.

“People are using it for purposes other than what is good for the country,” he said.

Osuntokun said the lingering leadership crisis within the party also contributed to his decision to leave, especially the recent court ruling that declared Senator Nenadi Usman as the valid national chairman and nullified the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee.

According to him, the situation remains unstable as the Abure faction has vowed to challenge the judgment.

“They have said they will appeal, and nobody can trust what the court will do again at the last minute,” he said.

Describing the ADC as the most credible opposition platform at present, Osuntokun said his move was driven by the need to prevent Nigeria from sliding into a one-party state.

“One of the reasons, of course, why I am there to make my own contribution and to strengthen it, is that a one-party dictatorship is not good for Nigeria,” he said.

He added, “That is the platform that has the greatest potential now. It has become a formidable opposition platform.”

“So, if anybody is interested in stopping Nigeria and influencing Nigeria against one-party dictatorship, it is the only viable option,” Osuntokun stressed.

Osuntokun disclosed that while he had already decided to join the ADC, former Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, helped hasten the process.

He also noted that his return to the ADC was a homecoming, having played a role in its formation.

“I was there at the beginning. Actually, it predated my Labour Party interlude,” he said.

The former LP campaign boss explained that the ADC emerged from the Coalition for Nigerian Movement, which was led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Naijaonpoint reports that several prominent opposition figures have adopted the ADC as their political platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.

They include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, former Senate President David Mark, and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, among others.

The growing influx is seen as part of broader efforts to build a strong opposition coalition capable of challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 general elections.