Ondo state chapter of Labour Party (LP) has described as false the story that some members of the party have defected to All Progressives Congress (APC).
Chairman of the party in the state, Chief Remilekun Ojo, said those who met and agreed to decamp to APC had ceased to be members of the party, saying their leader, Banji Omotosho, was expelled from LP two years ago.
The statement reads this: “The attention of the Labour Party of Nigeria, especially the Ondo State Chapter has been drawn to a purported meeting/defection held at Adegbemile hall, Akure, today Monday 13th February 2023 at noon.
“The meeting attended by about a few dozen people alleged that the entire Southwest Labour Party has been merged with the All Progressives Congress (APC) with effect from today. As expected, the meeting was chaired by an expelled Labour Party member, Mr. Banji Omotoso, who was the then caretaker state chairman in Ekiti state from 2017 to 2019.
“The Ondo State Labour Party under the leadership of our able chairman, Chief (Mrs.) Remilekun Ojo make bold to state as follows:
“That the Labour Party of Nigeria in the Southwest and entire Nigeria remains one and an indivisible party.
“That the entire Labour Party of Nigeria has never at anytime and will under no circumstances ever think of merging with any other Party, not even the All Progressives Congress (APC) that has brought untold hardship and suffering to the entire nation.”
The statement explained that the so-called Southwest coordinator, Mr. Banji Omotoso is an expelled member of the party, who since January 2020 has ceased to have anything whatsoever to do with our great party.
“That the said Mr. Banji Omotoso was expelled for gross malfeasance and anti-party activities. Therefore he has no authority from any quarters to speak for or on behalf of the Labour Party in Ondo state,” the statement said.
