The suspended Youth Leader of the Labour Party (LP) Anslem Eragbe and his predecessor Kennedy Ahanotu have clashed over circumstances surrounding Eragbe’s ouster.
While Eragbe insists that his suspension is illegal, claiming that the National Chairman Julius Abure acted unilaterally without duly following processes outlined in the party’s constitution, Ahanotu argued that the constitution empowered the Chairman to suspend any member.
“Let me say this quickly: we operate under the laws, and there are things we shouldn’t be seen doing. I do not accept my suspension because it is illegal. I am the National Youth Leader but notwithstanding because of the appeals everywhere, this matter is being looked into within the party system and the stakeholders, they have appealed for calm,” Eragbe said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday.
But Ahanotu, who was also on the show, faulted Eragbe, maintaining that due process was followed in the suspension.
“The party has an internal democracy; there are issues that are not supposed to be pushed to the public, but for the sake of Nigerians, I will just make two comments out of what my friend (Eragbe) has said.
“The National Chairman is the leader of the party and the constitution of the Labour Party says that the National Chairman shall provide leadership and in providing leadership, discretions, and intuitions are part of his anchor missionaries that he will use because when he sees that something is going wrong he takes decisions,” he said.
He advised Eragbe to take his suspension in good faith and wait for the next directive from the leadership of the party.
Their comment is coming weeks after Eragbe – who is also its senatorial candidate in Edo North for the 2023 election – was suspended for six months over allegations of fraud, and insubordination, among others. In his stead, the LP appointed Ahanotu in an acting capacity.
