By Seyi Babalola
Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party candidate for Edo State’s governorship election on September 21, 2024, and Marvellous Godwins Omobayo, the state deputy governor, have clashed over the purported invasion of the party’s headquarters and the removal of its state leadership.
According to reports, several Labour Party members, largely youths, headed by the party’s now-suspended youth leader, Ken Omusi, stormed the party’s office in Benin City last Thursday, sacking the executive and declaring himself acting chairman.
Speaking after the party’s stakeholders meeting, Akpata said that the youths were sponsored by the state’s deputy governor, Marvelous Omobayo.
According to him, “you are all aware that the present deputy governor to Governor Godwin Obaseki was taken from our folds and appointed by the current governor.
“And, it appears that the current deputy governor in the state is employed for the purpose. He must have assured his paymaster that the Labour Party is decimated, and it does not exist and that once he leaves us, the party would no longer exist. You know people tend to be legends in their own mind.
“The individual who invaded and attacked our secretariat, the suspended youth leader, Ken Omusi we know is with the deputy governor.
“We have photographic evidence to the effect that they are working together currently, and we know that the incident of the last couple of days is just another part of their scripts to create the impression that there is chaos in the Edo Labour party.
“There is no chaos in the party. We are organized and ready to claim Dennis Osadebay avenue for Edo State.
“As the Labour Party chairman rightly noted, this minion who used to be the youth leader of our party in the state working with the state deputy governor arrived at this secretariat with officers of the Edo State Security Network and with Police officers attached to Edo State Government House.
“So, we are sending a note of warning to those who are orchestrating this confusion, that confusion does not exist here in our party. We are clear in our mind where we are going to Dennis Osadebay avenue.
“We are encouraging our former comrade to ‘dey their lane so that we will also dey our lane’. You don go, dey there.
“Don’t use us to shine. You cannot use us to shine. You don’t have that power. The height that he reached in the Labour Party was as a result of the support of the people.
“And, now that he has decided to cross over to the other party, all well and good but do not attempt to think for one second that any one of us will follow you. We are going nowhere
“We assure him, and we wish him well in his five-month tenure as deputy governor of the state. We don’t wish anybody bad, ‘but if na there he can reach, it is well and good for him.’
“But you cannot destroy Labour Party for your personal success. You cannot destroy Labour Party for your personal ambition. And, before we fall you ‘don fall’.
“‘So dey your lane, we will dey our lane’. I am speaking directly to Engr Marvellous Godwin’s Omobayo. ‘Dey your lane and we dey our lane’”, he said.
Reacting, Omobayo, the Edo State deputy governor, described the allegations against him as unfounded and baseless.
The deputy governor, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Victor Adefemi noted that the allegations by the Labour Party governorship candidate were spurious, unfounded and baseless.
Omobayo posited that he was one of the major Labour Party stalwarts who deployed his personal resources and links to make the Labour Party strong and attractive to Akpata in Edo State.
“I contested as Deputy Governor with Honourable Isaiah Osifo on the platform of Labour Party in 2020 and thereafter, remained committed to the principles of the party leading to my contest for Akoko Edo Federal Constituency in 2023 general election, before the entrance of Barrister Akpata into the party.
“I hereby urge Barrister Olumide Akpata to excuse me from the Labour Party’s crisis.
“Omobayo has no place for violence and hatred in his style of politics, the Labour Party’s candidate should go and verify this.”
