By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

The Ogun State chapter of the Labour Party has described the purported suspension of the State Executive Council of the party as an imagination of the purveyors of fake news. 

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abayomi Arabambi, said this while reacting to a series of media statements credited to one Tokunbo Peters, that the State chapter of Labour Party under the leadership of Micheal Ashade has been suspended by the party’s National Working Committee.

Arabambi, in a statement he signed and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, said the party Constitution is clear on how to dissolve a State Executive Council.

Arabambi said, “anyone going around parading himself as the Caretaker committee of the party in Ogun State aside from Michael Ashade led Executive is doing so at his own risk, stressing that the Ogun State Labour Party has already instituted a legal proceeding against the impostors and their co-travellers in Abuja

“By this statement, we want the general public to be wary of the activities of these fraudsters led by Lukmon Jagun, as they are not our executive members in the State and they cannot act on behalf of the party.

“So, anybody who goes on air and doles out lies that some members of the party have been suspended or a State Executive Council has been sacked is pursuing an ill-fated journey and their co-travellers are bound to fail. We hereby called on members of the public not to give the so call Caretaker members attention”,  he added.

“The general public, and especially the Ogun State Labour Party family, are advised to continue to deal with Micheal Ashade led Executive”.

“I will not want to comment about the false and damaging allegations made against the Ogun State Executive, led by Michael Ashade as those matters have already been submitted to a Court of competent jurisdiction.”

“Let me make it clear that the purported suspension is self-defeating, dead on arrival and completely invalid”.

He said the matter was sub judice, “as it is before a court of competent jurisdiction.

“The Ogun LP views its purported dissolution as a brazen disregard for the judiciary, the Nigerian Constitution and flagrant abuse of power by the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee”.

“The action of the NWC is patently illegal; it is an assault on the LP Constitution and outside the bounds of acceptable standards in the conduct of party affairs the world over”.

There is no iota of truth in the charge of anti-party activities levelled against the Ogun executive, as we remain committed to the ideals of the LP.

“You cannot dissolve a legally constituted body, such as Ogun Labour Party exco on a whim. When a matter is in court, all parties are expected to maintain the status quo. What Julius Abure-led NWC has done amounts to self-help and bare-faced attempt to render nugatory the judicial powers granted the Courts by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

According to him, “We condemn this attempt to foist a faith accompli on the judiciary, undermine its powers and turn it into a toothless bulldog. 

The statement urged party faithful in Ogun State to remain calm as “the Micheal Ashade-led LP exco remains in office for the good of our great party