The Labour Party in Kaduna State has announced its separation from the Lamidi Apapa-led faction and has suspended three prominent party members for anti-party activities.
The party held an emergency State Executive Council meeting in Kaduna, where they identified the suspended members as Hon Bashir Idris Aliyu, Michael Ayuba Auta, and Ibrahim Sidi Bamali.
Party spokesperson Yusuf Idris stated that the suspended members had attended a meeting with the factional chairman, Lamidi Apapa.
Their suspension will be forwarded to the National Working Committee of the Labour Party for further action.
The party members expressed their loyalty to the state chairman, Hon Auwal Tafoki, and warned the public against acknowledging anyone else as the chairman.
The communique released after the meeting denounced the parallel structures being created by the Apapa faction, which they believe aim to undermine Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed’s 2023 Presidential election campaigns.
The communique also reaffirmed the party’s loyalty to the National Working Committee led by Julius Abure and declared any decisions made by the Apapa group as void.
Jonathan Asake, the party’s governorship candidate in the state, commented that the current crisis is an attempt to sabotage Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed’s 2023 Presidential election ambitions.
The statement reads, “Following the sudden emergence of a renegade group in the Labour Party led by one Lamidi Apapa, our great party is being assaulted by agents of destabilisation and commotion.
“The intention is to create parallel structures at the National level and all over the states to lend support to the dirty agenda of scuttling the mandate of Mr Peter Obi and Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed in the 2023 Presidential elections.
“Therefore, we the State Executive Council of the Labour Party in Kaduna state, having met today, have unequivocally resolved as follows.
“That we totally dissociate ourselves from the illegal and counterfeit group of the Labour Party led by Lamidi Apapa.
“We hereby affirm and assert our loyalty, support and commitment to the Labour Party and the National Working Committee of our great party led by our lawfully recognised National Chairman, Julius Abure.
“Consequent upon the above, all appointments and decisions made by the Apapa group on behalf of our great Party remain null and void.”
“For the records, the Chairman of the Labour Party in Kaduna State remains Auwal Tafoki. Any other person parading himself in the above position is blatantly committing impersonation and may face the wrath of the law.
“All identified card-carrying members of the Labour Party who were part of the so-called NEC meeting that took place in Bauchi, Bauchi state, Wednesday, 3rd, May 2022 hereby stand suspended from the party.
“Among those identified and affected by this decision are the following: Bashir Idris Aliyu, Ibrahim Sidi Bamali, and Michael Ayuba Auta.
“We call on our members and the general public to disregard anyone or group parading him or themselves as State officials of the Labour Party in Kaduna State outside the duly constituted and recognised state Exco led by Auwal Tafoki.
“We, therefore, call on all our members and teeming supporters to remain calm and law-abiding even in the face of the unwarranted provocation by divisive agents.”
