LP: Ogun Obidients warn against hijack, reject parallel leadership

The Ogun Coalition of Obidients and Labour Party Members (OCOL) has distanced itself from a splinter group claiming to represent the authentic leadership of the Labour Party in Ogun State, describing the group as illegitimate and composed of “expired, unelected individuals” bent on destabilizing the party.

In a statement issued by its Coordinator, Seun Bakare, OCOL reaffirmed its loyalty to the party’s national leader, Mr Peter Obi, and restated its commitment to the ideals of a “New Nigeria.”

“We are awaiting direction from our national leader, Peter Obi, and remain committed to his vision of a transformed, people-oriented Nigeria,” the statement read.

OCOL, which comprises professionals across various sectors, including healthcare, finance, transportation, and education, as well as artisans and students, alleged that the splinter group is made up of local government-level officials whose tenures have expired or who were never duly elected.

“These individuals are political jobbers. We have credible evidence that some of them are APC moles and apologists attempting to ridicule our party from within for selfish reasons and the benefit of their paymasters.

“They are now name-dropping respected party figures like Nenadi Usman in a bid to buy legitimacy. But we refuse to be led by those who betrayed the party in past elections,” the coalition declared.

The coalition warned that the emergence of multiple factions, such as the Ashade-led executive, the Jagun-led caretaker committee, and the newly emerged Olaolu-led interim committee, poses a serious threat to the party’s integrity in Ogun State.

“When will this absurdity end?” OCOL queried, stressing that factionalism could plunge the party into protracted legal battles similar to the crisis that has paralyzed the Ogun State PDP since 2010.

“We urge the national leadership of the Labour Party to take decisive steps and avoid repeating the mistakes of others. Reckless ambition and betrayal must not be allowed to derail the party. We stand for unity, legality, and competent leadership,” the statement said.