The Nigeria Labour Party (LP) has said that the Minister of State for Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, is behind crisis in their party.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the national youth leader of the party, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, said Nigerians should know an unholy alliance between the Honourable Minister of State for Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha and some expelled members of their party led by Chief Lamidi Apapa, and whose purpose is to ensure that crisis is sustained perpetually in their party.
“One may begin to wonder what connects the Minister of States for Labour, Hon. Nkiruka Onyejeocha and the Labour Party that she will go at length to instigate and fund crises within the party. We are however aware that the former lawmaker is fighting a personal and proxy war against the party.
“Onyejeocha has been in the national assembly since 2007 until the February 25 general election when she was defeated by Hon. Amobi Ogah with a very wide margin. Her lost to Amobi Ogah was a pill too hard to swallow hence she has vowed to use all her connections to ensure that the election declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC is upturned in her favour.
“Her political ambition was to be the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives. She has also boasted that powers that be in Aso Rock has promised her the speakership, a position she contested in 2019 but lost to Femi Gbajabiamila, who now is the Chief of Staff in the Tinubu administration. Onyejeocha believes that the Isikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency is her fiefdom, however the result of that election altered all the plans and permutation for Onyejeocha who saw her ambition drifting. For her to be the Speaker she must first win the seat at the Reps and Amobi Ogah was the only stumbling block. Therefore, he must go at all cost.
“Onyejeocha with strong support from the Presidency plotted to be part of the 10th NASS using the instrument of the Tribunal. She had worked tirelessly to ensure that the tribunal pronounced her the duly elected member by turning the rules of the election on the head. With her limitless access to funds, it wasn’t difficult for her to get Amobi Ogah sacked by the Tribunal. Not because he lost the election but because the trial judge canceled all the votes of the Labour Party on the grounds of his membership of the party. Of course, the electoral law has been interpreted by even the Supreme Court to suggest that only a political party has the powers to determine its membership. Nigerians are still wondering what motivated such judgement but the answer is not far-fetched. She simply deployed her huge financial war-chest and bought the judgement.
“Not satisfied with the slow pace of the Tribunal route to the National Assembly, Onyejeocha went for the ‘Killer Punch” by using a Federal High Court in Kano to attempt to sack all elected political office holders from Abia State, the governor inclusive. The Kano judgement rattled and quacked the entire political space.
“Onyejeocha who connived with some expelled members of the Labour Party led by Lamidi Apapa had applied to be a Joiner in the case but was refused by the judge for filling out of time. However, most of her pleading before the Court was granted even when the court lacked the locus. It took the ululation from the general public before the matter was overturned by the appellate court,” the group said while calling on the present government to relieve Onyejeocha of her ministerial role as she has lost focus, and since she has refused to concentrate on the assignment given to her.
“We also urge security agencies including Police, DSS, EFCC and ICPC to invite Onyejeocha for questioning over her role in funding insurrection in the Labour Party, bullying of INEC staffers, manipulating the judiciary and also helping to stoke political crisis in Nigeria,” he said.
