The crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of Labour Party (LP) took a new turn on Tuesday with prominent party members distancing themselves from an endorsement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Saturday’s governorship poll.
The state LP Chairman, Dienye Pepple, had held a press conference during which he announced the party’s alleged support for the PDP candidate, Siminalayi Fubara.
This however did not go down well with some members of LP who have been making their displeasure felt, saying the Chairman does not speak for the party and that he may have been compromised by the promise of financial rewards.
This much was made known by the deputy governorship candidate of the party during a chat with Channels Television at the party’s campaign office in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The hierarchy of the LP in Rivers State expressed fury with the erstwhile Chairman of the state chapter of the party after his press briefing where he announced support for the PDP candidate.
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Speaking on behalf of the campaign, the deputy governorship candidate Sam Kinanee said the party had been aware of the chairman’s romance with the PDP.
The Director General of the LP campaign, Confidence Eke, noted that rather than being demoralised by the Chairman’s actions, the party has galvanised itself to push on.
He also accused Pepple of sabotaging the party during the presidential election.
In a related development, a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has said it will be supporting the PDP candidate, instead of its candidate, Tonye Cole.
Leader of the faction, Tony Okocha, told Channels Television this was its way of reciprocating the PDP’s support during the presidential election.
While the twists and turns in the politics of Rivers State have proved dramatic, the last has not been heard of the political situation in the state as the LP National Chairman has dissolved the state executive.
