Labour Party: How Abayomi Betrayed Our Trust

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

Labour Party yesterday revealed how its acting National Publicity Secretary, Arabambi Abayomi, betrayed the trust of the party and that of its Ogun State chapter.

In a statement by its National Secretary, Umar Farouk, party has also expressed concerns over allegations of corruption, attacks on the party’s image and engagement in anti-party activities being carried out by Arabambi and other executives of the party in Ogun State.

It stated that it has, “been watching with consternation the grandstanding of its acting National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Abayomi Arabambi and his cohorts in the Ogun state executive of the party as they have continued to dish out lies to the public concerning the leadership of the party.”

Farouk said while the party was constrained not to go to the gutters with its national officer, “especially as it concerns the internal matters of the party which we all swore oath of confidentiality to uphold, it was also, “not unmindful of the gullibility of men when confronted with carrots they can’t resist, hence, we have chosen to come out with facts as distorted by our supposed spokesperson.”

The statement added: “We are even more constrained knowing that when a bird dances in the air, the probability of a drummer hiding nearby is a possibility.

“Appearing on a popular television programme Saturday morning, Abayomi Arabambi threw caution to the wind by callously dishing out statements attacking a party for which he claims to be the National Publicity Secretary and has also questioned the legality of the membership of one of our respectable leaders and the Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Doyin Okupe, wherein he pronounced him expelled from the party.

“On Friday, I did address a press conference wherein the party over-ruled the illegal expulsion and had also warned of dire consequences against the architects of that rascality but with the recent development, the party has decided to tell its own story of how it has unknowingly harboured a ‘Judas Iscariot’ who is driven by pecuniary gains to sell the party, it ought to be defending.

“First, at the conclusion of the party primaries, in line with the directives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, forms of the party’s candidates are supposed to be uploaded to INEC’s Portal. As a ranking member our party from the South-West, Mr. Arabambi was tasked with handling the candidates from both Lagos State and his home State, Ogun for the House of Assembly and governorship.

“The party didn’t know that he had ulterior motives and never had the intention of submitting the forms. He frustrated the arrangement and made sure that no name was uploaded.”

It pointed out that his unilateral expulsion of Doyin Okupe was laughable.

“Like I said earlier, during my press conference on Friday, we have made a strong statement that Arabambi has no constitutional powers to suspend any member of the party, not to talk of a personality, the party had worked so hard to bring over to its fold.

“For his information, Dr. Okupe, a frontline politician and a former Presidential aspirant joined the party with Peter Obi along with thousands of other notable leaders and were duly granted waivers. Since joining the party, he has been of immense benefit not just to the party but also the campaign council, investing both financial and material resources to ensure that the will of the people, which is a pro-people government is actualised in Nigeria soonest.

“His unilateral pronouncement on the membership of our esteemed leader or any other member without authorisation by the leadership is viewed as usurpation of the authority of the leadership of the party, in this case the National Working Committee.

“Arabambi, the last time I checked is neither the National Financial Secretary nor the National Legal Adviser whose duties are to advice the leadership of the party on who is financially viable or who is ineligible to be a member of the party.

“Let me reiterate that any member of the party who is proven to be a hireling planted to sow seed of discord in the party will soon have a date with judgement.

“We can’t afford to behave like other political parties we are working hard to upstage.  Meanwhile, we will not be distracted by the evil machination of a few. Our eyes are on the ball, 2023 will be the end point,” the statement added.