I met Peter Obi https://kubwaexpress.com/2022/03/24/an-encounter-with-governor-peter-obi-in-2008/ and he is a nice man but not a good politician. Political victory, if for the best prepared and not just being a candidate banking on luck.
When I met him, I was impressed but as a politician, particularly this last one year, he has shown lack of political understanding in a multi faceted nation called Nigeria.
When he wanted to play at the national level, I dare say, he didn’t do due diligence. I will not talk about his jamboree in PDP.
When the news broke that Peter Obi had joined Labour Party, I sent a message to him, I doubt if he got it.
At the time of his entrance into LP, LP had two factions. One faction led by Salisu Mohammed and the other led by AA Salaam. Abure is an illegal extension of AA Salaam’s faction. Calistus was dealing with this illegality within their ranks.
Salisu Mohammed’s faction is the faction recognized by NLC and is the faction with LP’s Certificate of Registration, issued by INEC.
I made this clear to my emissary to Peter Obi.
The feedback I got, was not encouraging. I was told that we should be happy that Peter Obi has come to give our party prominence.
I resisted and rejected this. Before Obi, LP was already a national party to reckon with. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo had already given LP prominence and it was because LP was visible and nationalistic that attracted Obi. Why didn’t he go back to APGA and give it prominence?
I advised that he heal the fractions in LP, since it will be good to go into election with a whole house. I was not listened to.
There is a court directive, asking that LP organize Unity Convention and harmonize Salisu faction and Abure/Calistus faction. MOU was drafted and handed over to NLC. NLC under Wabba, abandoned the spirit and letters of the MOU and aligned with Abure, appealing to Salisu’s faction, to allow the election to finish and a Unity Convention, will be organized.
Salisu’s faction, is still keeping faith, not part of this current Apapa-Abure crisis rocking LP.
Salisu has assured me that his faction will not be involved in the ongoing crisis, but will insist that LP be built based of workers participation as Nigerian workers, are the owners of LP.
In the course of Peter Obi’s campaign, the OBIdient Movement hijacked him. He was happy at the sight of the swelling crowd. This made him to treat LP with contempt and disdain, wrapping himself with Abure, despite pointers and evidence that Abure will face criminal charges.
The OBIdient Movement’s brash attacks, insults kept some of away. We remained committed to LP ideals but DISOBEDIENT. I got repeated calls to join the Movement but I asked the Movement to go to their Wards and join LP.
They kept insisting that Political Party doesn’t matter despite evidence of Supreme Court judgement that says, it is political party that owns the votes cast in an election; it is a political party that contests election.
This was the sticking point for me and them. Their insults and threat intensified. Yes, I was severally threatened by my Igbo brothers, I was called saboteur. But when I ask them, is Obi an igbo agenda? Where did ndi igbo meet to adopt Obi as Igbo Presidential candidate? More insults followed, name calling and some even vowed that they will haunt me politically.
So I lost a good number of acquaintances over this and I am happier without them.
As we await the Tribunal verdict, the self inflicted wounds in LP has surfaced with fresh pus. Accusations that Abure is corrupt, incompetent and cannot account for money gotten from sells of nomination forms and funds donated for campaign, fouls the air.
This putrefying odor in LP, cannot be cured by any court administered deodorant but by a Unity Convention, where members of LP can elect officers from their members, who share the ideology of LP. Anything short of this, will keep balkanizing LP and it it continues, OBident Movement, will move Peter Obi out of LP, to form their own political party.
©️Ashimole Felix, Esq., was Labour Party Admin Officer 2010, FCT Chairman of Labour Party 2014-2017
