They are jokers, fraudulent — Scribe

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA—The national leadership of the Labour Party, LP,  yesterday, suspended  the party’s secretary in Ogun State, Sunday  Ogini, over alleged anti-party activities.

The party also  threatened to hand him over to security agencies for prosecution if he doesn’t  desist from such activities.

In a letter, by LP National Secretary, Alhaji A. A. Salam and  addressed to the embattled Secretary dated January 29, Ogini was accused of breaching the provision of LP’s constitution by assuming falsely official party titles, giving wrong, false and misleading information to organs of the party in Ogun State, and by causing the party related grievance to be published  without exhausting all avenues of settlement or redress within the party.

The party through the letter, copied to the Department of State Services, DSS, state Commissioner of Police, Resident Electoral Commissioner and chairman, Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission, directed Ogini to appear before the party’s  disciplinary committee on February 17 to answer the charges against him.

Vanguard gathered that Ogini’s suspension, was the latest in the crisis rocking the party  in the state as supporters of former Governor Gbenga Daniel and those opposed to him battle for control of the party’s structure.

While justifying the suspension of the secretary until further notice, Salam stated that it was in accordance with the powers of the National Working Committee under article 13:3 (B) (I) (v) of the party constitution.

He  added that the embattled  secretary sued the party and its officials without following the party’s constitution.

He further claimed that Ogini flouted the decisions of the party continuously by issuing unauthorised statements which attack the character and reputation of leaders of the party in the state.

He said: “By this suspension, you are warned to desist from any party activity in Ogun State, including using the name of the party for whatever purpose. Should you dare the party again, we will have no option but to hand you over to the security agencies for immediate prosecution.”
Reacting to his purported suspension, Ogini described the national leadership of the party as jokers, saying the action stood logic in the head.

He argued that; “How could the national body that disowned him now suspend a Secretary that was not known in the party.

“They are fraudulent and not qualified to lead any organised group. I will challenge them  through a public debate. I brought Otunba Gbenga Daniel into the Labour Party.

“ They wanted to sell Labour Party in Ogun State and I said no,  Labour party is not for sale.  We will invite EFCC, ICPC  to investigate the corrupting of the highest order in Labour Party national  Secretariat.”

I remain the secretary,”he said.