… as Salam, Okafor, Ajulo engage in free for all…
The crisis bedeviling the Labour Party on Tuesday degenerated to a physical combat as top leadership of the party disagreed on the sharing formular of over N200 million revenue it generated from sale of nomination and expression of interest forms to political office seekers.
At a meeting convened at its newly acquired National Secretariat in Abuja by the National Chairman of Labour Party, Alhaji Abdul Salam, to discuss the revenue of the party, the three other members of the National working Committee present at the meeting including the Deputy National Chairman, Chief Callistus Okafor, the National Secretary, Barrister Kayode Ajulo and the National Publicity Secretary, Barrister Ebere Ifekandu accused the chairman of inequitable sharing of fund, diversion of election funds into private account and refusal to make proper account for the huge financial gains the party got from the election exercise.
It would be recalled that a fortnight ago, former National Chairman of the party and chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu resigned his position and membership of the party over alleged mismanagement of the party fund and lack of transparency by the new leadership.
Chief Nwanyanwu had in his letter of resignation accused Alhaji Salam of using the name of a security Chief to justify the looting of the party treasury particularly, the over N60 million largesse that was received from Akwa Ibom state as nomination fees, thereby denying the party its legitimate funds.
Sources from the Labour Party office said that over N150 million was also received from sales of nomination forms from Ebonyi, Oyo, Delta states and a few others where the party has strong followership.
The tensed up meeting according to an eye witnessed degenerated to physical assault when one of the officials refused to turn off his phone as instructed so as not to record the proceedings and in the process of forcefully removing the phone, a fight broke out between the National secretary and the Deputy National Chairman.
One of the aides of the National Chairman who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “The Chief Okafor accused Barrister Ajulo of hijacking the party even when he is only three months old as a party member, a statement that further angered the National secretary who then thoroughly beat up the Deputy National Chairman.
“The National Chairman who tried to intervene was kicked down to the floor and slapped severally, while the National Publicity Secretary wept uncontrollably.
“It took the intervention of the security personnel who forcefully gained entrance into the Chairman’s office to quell the fracas, of course with a police officer brutally assaulted with an iron weapon.”
When Labour Party National Publicity Secretary, Ms Ifekandu was contacted for comment she denied that fight broke out in the party secretariat at the meeting. She also denied being part of any looting going on in the party.
According to her, “I have not received any money from anybody and if they are sharing money, they have not given me, so I am not part of the game.”
