The Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in Lagos State, Dayo Ekong, has berated the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko.
According to Ekong, many challenges currently facing the LP stem from the actions—or inactions—of Tanko and other members of the now-defunct Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).
Tanko, in an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, suggested that the Obidient Movement is bigger than the LP and could potentially align with another political party, given the seemingly intractable crisis within the party.
In response, Ekong issued a statement stressing that no individual or group is above the LP.
She emphasized that Tanko’s comments reveal a “grave misunderstanding of the symbiotic relationship” between the party and the Obidient Movement.
Ekong reiterated that the principles on which the party was founded are paramount, and any suggestion otherwise is misguided.
“Many of the challenges the Labour Party faces today stem directly from the actions—or rather, inactions—of Tanko and other members of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).
“The responsibility of ensuring accountability and transparency, especially in matters of funding and proper organization, lay firmly within the purview of Tanko and his colleagues.
“Regrettably, instead of fostering unity and bolstering our base, there has been a conspicuous lack of both. Tanko, let us be clear: no individual or group is larger than the Labour Party,” she stated.
Ekong acknowledged that while the LP recognizes the Obidient Movement’s pivotal role in mobilizing youth during the 2023 general elections, this contribution cannot be used as leverage to undermine the party’s structures.
She criticized Tanko and the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for not doing much to resolve the current crisis rocking the LP.
“On the contrary, those within the movement—led by Tanko and his principal, Peter Obi—should ask themselves: How have they impacted the resolution of the current crises? How have they contributed to alleviating the palpable frustrations within the party rather than compounding them?
“The public deserves the truth, not carefully spun narratives that deflect blame or misrepresent our party’s standing.
“Tanko has continuously painted an incomplete and, at times, misleading picture of internal matters, especially regarding the role and leadership of our National Chairman, Julius Abure.
“They have omitted the fact that while so-called “LP members and not Obidients” bore the brunt of electoral violence—businesses destroyed, lives and limbs lost—the response has been, at best, silence.
“Members of the party structure who stood firm and resolute against intimidation during the last election are still feeling the negative impact in their immediate environments till today, yet no overtures have been made to heal the wounds of our supporters, yet there seems to be energy to destabilize the Labour Party, through actions that starkly contradict the very ideals they claim to champion,” Ekong said.
Ekong further emphasized that history has a way of vindicating the just and holding those “with dubious motives to account.”
“As Tanko and others embark on this “noble” mission of building an alternate platform where they alone may be judge and jury, we genuinely wish them well.
“Nonetheless, the Labour Party will continue its mission undeterred, upholding the tenets of equity, justice, and true representation for all Nigerians, as we have always pledged to do,” Ekong added.