4th April, 2015
Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta
The governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Ogun state, Sina Kawonise has debunked the rumour making the rounds that his party is in alliance with other political parties ahead of April 11, 2015 governorship election in Ogun state.
He also disclosed that the duo of Olapoosi Oginni and Femi Abayomi Arabambi, who are parading themselves as executive officers of the Labour Party have been expelled from the party at its national convention held in Akure, Ondo state last year.
In a release on Friday which was signed by Kawonise, a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Ogun state, he debunked the collaboration news.
“My attention has been drawn to a news item claiming that the Ogun Labour Party has ‘collapsed’ into another party in Ogun state. There is nothing as such. I am the governorship candidate of Ogun Labour Party. For those in doubt, the Ogun State High Court has affirmed and confirmed this fact few days ago.
“It is important to let the general public know that I am not in any collaboration talk with any party, neither am I contemplating stepping down for any governorship candidate. I represent the only ideologically distinctive, people-oriented and mass-based political party without the political merchants and godfathers that have held down Ogun state.
“Labour Party and I, Sina Kawonise, its governorship candidate, have no identity with the failed and conservative parties currently jostling to seize the destiny and collective wealth of our people.
“It is necessary also to alert the general public in Ogun state that the two individuals, Olaposi Oginni and Femi Abayomi Arabambi, parading themselves as officers of LP in Ogun state have been expelled from the party in its National Convention held last October in Akure, Ondo state.
“The fact of their expulsion could be confirmed from the National Headquarters of LP. These two individuals are the ones misinforming the media on affairs of the LP in Ogun state. They should be ignored henceforth,” the statement reads.
PM News can authoritatively report that there is an ongoing talk between some political parties, which Labour Party was said to be among in Ogun state to form a collaboration, so as to defeat the incumbent, Ibikunle Amosun of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the forthcoming governorship election.
The parties allegedly involved in the collaboration talk as revealed are the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Social Democratic Party, SDP and Labour Party, LP.
Findings by our correspondent revealed that the leadership of the three parties have been talking on the alliance issue since Monday following the victory of APC Presidential candidate,General Muhammed Buhari was winning the election.
Our correspondent gathered that the parties are thinking of asking both the governorship candidate of SDP, Senator Akin Odunsi and that of Labour Party, Bolaji Sunmola to step down for the PDP candidate, Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka.
This was confirmed to our correspondent by the State Secretary of PDP Alhaji Semiu Sowunmi. He declared that the discussion has reached a point that they only need two more meetings to seal the agreement.
But alliance talks collapsed when Justice O.O. Majekodunmi of the High Court 5, Isabo, Abeokuta ordered that Sina Kawonise should be reinstated as the governorship candidate of LP in Ogun state.
One of the leaders of PDP in Ogun state, who asked not to be named said the court judgment is giving them serious headache as they don’t want to be part of any illegality.
According to him, “yes, we are in talks with other political parties for a merger so that we can send the APC led government out of Oke Mosan. But, when we got the information yesterday, I thought it was a political abracadabra until I read from newspapers this morning.
“It shows that the person we have been talking to as the governorship candidate of Labour Party is no more the candidate or they too will now approach court to appeal the judgment and we don’t have enough time on our side. I don’t know what to say for now but personally, I will never be part of any illegality”,