The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially expelled Itodo Ubolo as a member of the party in the Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

In a statement issued on Sunday by Hon. Isah Alhassan, who serves as the party’s chairman in Ofu Local Government and is acting on behalf of the ward chairmen, executive members, and key stakeholders of the party, it was announced that Ubolo is barred from being a member of the party.

Alhassan accused Ubolo of engaging in activities against the party before the 2023 November 11 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, highlighting that he acted independently to further his own interests while working for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

He cautioned Ubolo to cease pretending to be a member of the PDP with the intention of gaining easy recognition in preparation for the upcoming party Congress in Kogi State.

According to him, “You have never been a consistent politician. A man who has changed four political parties within the space of four months.

“Don’t come with your co-travelers to disrupt the peace we are having in Ofu PDP since you and your unstable politicians left the party to join the All Progressive Grand Alliance, (APGA), Accord Party, APC and Social Democratic Party, (SDP) within four months.

“Just because of the recent Court of Appeal ruling affirming the election of Governor Usman Ododo as the winner of the November 11 Governorship election in Kogi State, you have now decided to move from SDP where you were made the Director General logistics and finance to start organizing PDP meetings in your hotel.

“You (Itodo Ubolo) and your co travelers are on a mission to disrupt our party’s upcoming Congress by fielding some of your members to purchase nomination forms to contest various positions across Kogi East.

“I Hon Isah Alhassan, the Divisional Chairman of Ofu Local Government and the entire Local Government Executives of our great party, PDP, say no to your plan.”

The Labour Party (LP) Directorate on Mobilization and Integration has asserted that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) National Transition Committee (NTC) has become a destructive agent seemingly working for the government.

World wide gist reports that the Directorate made this known while reacting to a statement purportedly released by the NLC NTC describing Julius Abure as the former National Chairman of the Labour Party.

The statement further directed party stakeholders to boycott the planned Congress organised by LP in Anambra, Imo, Delta and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

However, the LP Directorate, in a statement on Monday by its Director General, Marcel Ngogbehei, maintained that Abure remains the authentic National Chairman of the LP, confirmed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the party’s highest decision-making organ.

Ngogbehei described the purported statement by the NTC as childish, malicious and misleading, noting that the NLC does not have the authority to set up any transition committee for any party in the country.

He urged the LP stakeholders not to be distracted by the ill attitude of the NTC and to ensure that they fully attend the upcoming party congresses as announced by the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC).

Ngogbehei also accused the NLC NTC of working with the government to demarket, weaken and prevent opposition parties like the Labour Party from holding the government accountable.

The LP Directorate added that NTC should engage the government to protect the interest of Nigerian workers and citizens rather than meddling in political affairs.

The statement read, “NTC has become a destructive agent seemingly working for the government to eliminate any perceived opposition structures in the country; the citizens are groaning under government policies that has left the Nigerian Workers more poorer; rather than the current NLC to learn from the Oshiomole years of courageous leadership and engage the Government to protect the interests of Nigerian workers and the citizens at large, they are busy meddling into political party affairs, attempting to demarket the only true opposition party in the country.” 

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains have dismissed suggestions that the defection of Anyim Pius Anyim would affect the party’s chances in Ebonyi State.

The former Senate president and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius, defected from the main opposition PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

PDP Former National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan and former PDP Acting National Secretary, Remi Akitoye, said the exit of Anyim would not affect the party or lead to the collapse of the main opposition.

In separate interviews with Independent Nigeria, the two former members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) said the next general election would make so many defectors regret their exit from the party.

PDP former spokesman, in reaction to Anyim’s exit impact on Ebonyi PDP and national party chances in elections, said, “Nobody can collapse PDP. Leaders who are dissatisfied can leave the party but that doesn’t amount to collapsing the party’s structure because the party exists in every polling unit.

“Like you know I’m not the spokesperson of the party. I think that what Anyim has done is honourable. If you think that you don’t have space in the environment, you take your leave.

“That is what he has done instead of staying there and fooling the people. It’s more honourable as far as I’m concerned.”

On his part, PDP’s former National Secretary said, “This is the time a lot of people are playing politics with bitterness.

“I think by next year politics will come to the forefront and things will settle. I’m sure a lot of people who have left now may wish to come back to PDP. Nobody will drive them away.

“Definitely by next year there will be a lot of returnees, that is politics and I believe that it’s good for our democracy at the moment.”

Akitoye said Ebonyi PDP would rise back to build. He said one person could not be dictating for the state’s PDP branch.

“We cannot see it as a destruction. One person cannot be talking for the whole of Ebony State. If I decide to go to the APC I may even decide to say that I’ve brought 20 million people.

“I’m sure that within one or two days people from Ebonyi State will start reacting to the comment. They’ll say, no, let him go with his people, we’re still on ground,” Akitoye said.