Edo election: LP blames Obi, Akpata for defeat

The Julius Abure led Labour Party (LP) has blamed the party’s candidate in the just concluded governorship election in Edo State, Barr. Olumide Akpata and Mr. Peter Obi for the party’s abysmal performance.

The party also congratulated the Edo State Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), for the victory, saying that the victory was a well deserved one.

The party, while congratulating the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for a job well done, described the election as one of the fairest, freest and most peaceful elections in the country.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, who said these in a statement signed and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, said those who accused INEC of being partial and fraud in the election, are part of Nigerians who failed to learn from history.

He said, “whatever INEC does was correct. The problem with Nigerians and their leaders is that if anything doesn’t favour us, that thing is wrong, but if it favour us even when it’s wrong, we described it as the right thing”.

The party noted “just last week, Mr. Peter Obi and Alex Otti were clapping for INEC who alleged that the tenure of Abure has expired. When they knew that we had a national convention in Nnewi, where INEC was invited, Alex Otti sponsored the convention, his Deputy represented him at the convention, all his commissioners were present, and yet because they wanted to forcefully and illegally take over the party, they said INEC was correct to say Abure’s tenure has expired when they themselves know that INEC was not truthful, but acting illegally. Today because they failed in Edo, INEC has done the wrong thing”.

The party noted that Peter Obi and Gov Alex Oti’s high handedness, deceit, love for power grabbing, brash, abrasive approach and betrayal of National Working Committee of the party, under Abure and the Secretary, Alhaji Farouk Umar Ibrahim, sowed the seeds of failures and contributed in many ways to LP’s loss in the governorship election.

“Another reason that led to the defeat of LP was that Olumide Akpata is from the same local government (Oredo) and the same Senatorial District, with Governor Godwin Obaseki, who will soon complete his eight-years term.

He added that “people of Edo wanted the next governor to emerge from Edo Central which explains why APC and PDP took their candidates from there”.

He described a statement credited to Obi that the damage INEC caused in the Edo governorship election will inevitably take revenge on those responsible and affect their children in the future as an insult to the generality of Edo people who wanted equity and justice for Edo Central Senatorial District, but which Obi decided to work against.

The party also berated its governorship candidate for alleging that the election was for the highest bidder, saying that Akpata lacks moral right to say that.

“Olumide Akpata has no reason to complain about the election and buying of votes. Akpata bought all the Labour Party delegates during the primary to get the Labour Party ticket. He bought over the party structure, gave them vehicles. He even called police to harass those who pointed out the abnormality. He bought the National Working Committee over, and took the ticket”, Arabambi said.

The party then called on Edo people to rally round the newly elected governor, saying that Labour Party under the leadership of Abure will continue to work in tandem with the constitution of the party.