HIRED political thugs with guns and other dangerous weapons arrested at the scene of protest at the Labour Party Secretariat in Benin City, Edo State capital, have allegedly confessed to being sponsored by Barrister Olumide Akpata to disrupt Labour Party meeting on Sunday afternoon.
Police sources at the Police State Headquarters and individuals who took the three thugs on bail in the State High Court 2 premises confirmed to Trojan News Media Correspondent that the thugs identified the photograph of Barrister Olumide Akpata as the person they are working for because he’s a Benin.
The ringleader of the gang who identified himself as Osakpanmwan Adams however said that they never met with Olumide Akpata in person but his agents who contracted and enlisted them into the protest at a bear parlour gave them the campaign posters of Olumide Akpata at the point of mobilization.
Trouble started on Sunday when political thugs numbering over 200 mobilized across the 18 local government areas violently invaded the state’s Secretariat of the party, chatting anti Julius Abure’s songs, the National Chairman of the party that led to the arrest of a few of them.
Edo State Chairman of the party, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi, in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin noted that the 2022 electoral act made it abundantly clear that statutory membership, appointees and party officials are not eligible to participate in the party’s primary.
Ogbaloi said, “I think it has become unavoidably necessary to advise those aspiring to be governor under the platform of the party to exercise caution in the manner and way to instigate party members and engage in media propaganda against the party and its officials.
“We are also aware that some of these officials have also been compromise by an aspirant by inducement with material things, like vehicles and several other things and on this basis such party officials are excluded from participation in order to also give a level playing field to other aspirants who didn’t have vehicles, money to share to party members.
“We advise such aspirants to exercise decorum in their conduct and that the party will not hesitate to discipline any members who continue to cast aspersion or throw innuendoes to leadership of the party.
“We expect that those who want to assume the office of the governor must exercise decorum and be able to play by the rules. If the party had come up with procedures and guidelines for primaries and congresses, we expect those who want to be governor to play by those rules.
“It is pertinent to state clearly that most of these aspirants joined the party after a successful presidential outing for which have attracted them to join the party in order to pursue their ambition and they must therefore not come and try to destroy the image of the party.
“This is the first time the party guidelines will be expanded and encompass the participation of all members of the party. For instance, the guideline provides that all members of the wards will come together in their wards congresses and nominate two delegates who will subsequently go to their local government and nominate five members that will go to the local government to participate in guber primaries and this will create room for a wider participation of members.
Another official of the party told our Correspondent that “we are being careful with aspirants who are allegedly connected with Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki.
“In 2023 general election, Governor Obaseki surreptitiously purchased all the 24 Labour Party’s nomination forms across the state for House of Assembly and sponsored them through primary elections.
“He later mandated them under duress to write withdrawal letters to INEC and that was why we couldn’t have candidates in most of the election for House Assembly in the state.
“We’re aware that Obaseki’s moles are in our are party who suddenly realized that Labour Party might be a fertile platform to cash out and they’re the ones sponsoring protest against the leadership of the party all over the place.
“Their latest antics in Edo State just like the numerous protests in Abuja calling for the removal of our national chairman, Julius Abure remained efforts in futility.
“These characters are political dabblers, clap-back ethnocentric charlatans and empty noise makers because they will soon be treated in accordance with the party rules and regulations.
