Ben Ezechime, Enugu
Barrister Casmir Agbo, the Chairman of Labour Party (LP) in Enugu State, has said that his purported suspension by some renegades in the state chapter was null, void and of no consequence.
Agbo stated this at the party’s office in Enugu while reacting to media reports claiming that he had been suspended by some members of the party.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the LP chairman said that the State Working Committee (SWC) had now been convoked with 14 new members by the National Secretariat of the party.
He said: “The issue of suspension of the state chairman as was announced sometime ago is null and void in line with the 2014 constitution of our party as amended.
“The constitution stipulates that the state chairman cannot be removed except by state congress.
“Therefore, the purported removal of the state chairman (myself) is a waste of time; null and void, is of no effect and unconstitutional.”
He, however, urged those aggrieved to come back and work for the progress of the party ahead of 2027, elections.
“I, therefore, call on my members to retrace their steps for us to form a formidable family ahead of 2027,” he said.
On the issue of Honourable Chijioke Edeoga being begged to return to the PDP, the LP chairman said, he had advised him to remain in the party.
“As a Labour Party chairman, I have advised him to “look before he leaps.
“Also, as a party, the Labour Party in Enugu State doesn’t want him to leave.
“But as a man and also a politician, if he decides to leave, so be it, we cannot stop him,” Agbo said.
He said that Edeoga remained a force in the politics of Enugu State, adding that it was why every party was looking for him.
On Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 election, Agbo said that, Obi needed Labour Party as much as the party needed him.
“We complement each other; Peter Obi needs Labour Party, just as the Labour Party needs him.
“The truth is that, Obi needs a platform to actualise his dream of being Nigeria’s President,” he said.
It would be recalled that 17 members of the party in the state had on Tuesday sent a release to newsmen after a meeting announcing the suspension of the state chairman.
They accused the chairman of many sins against the party including high-handedness, neglect of party rules amongst others.
However, a letter signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary, of LP, Dr Julius Abure and Umar Farouk Ibrahim respectively, affirmed the extension of the tenure of the SWC pending the conduct of a fresh congress.
The names of the SWC members are: Barr. Casmir Agbo (State Chairman), Barr. Simon Akachukwu (Secretary), Mr Okenwa Emmanuel (Vice Chairman), Tony Nwachukwu (Deputy State Chairman, East), Emeka Ikemefuna (Dep, West) and Kingsley Chidera Ugwu (Dep, North).
Others include, Agama Joseph (Fin. Sec), Okorie Cyril (Organising Secretary), Barr Onuorah Odo (Pub Sec), Barr. Ifeanyi Ogenyi (Legal Adviser), Innocent Okorie (Auditor), Ani Eucharia (woman leader) and Ogbuenyi Ndubuisi (Youth leader).
