Date: 2015-03-16

The crisis rocking the Kwara State chapter of the Labour Party yesterday took a new dimension following a 24-hour ultimatum issued by its governorship aspirant, Engineer Abdulhakeem Adelaja Amao, to the party’s deputy Governorship Candidate, Comrade Abdulmumini Onagun, to retract the dud cheque issuance allegation levelled against him.

His failure to comply, Amao threatened to slam a legal suit on Onagun, who also doubles as the party state’s secretary.

It will be recalled that the party is embroiled in internal crisis following the alleged unlawful removal of Amao as its guber flag-bearer and his recent suspension.

The party last Thursday at a press conference addressed by its state’s Chairman, Mr. Johnson Babalola, suspended the ex-guber aspirant for ‘’ alleged disruption of the party’s meetings and indulgence in alleged unwholesome conducts’’.

 Similarly, the party and its governorship candidate, Dr. Mike Omotosho, would on Thursday appear before Justice Adenike Akinpelu of Ilorin High Court in a suit filed by the former guber aspirant challenging his alleged disqualification as the Kwara LP governorship candidate in the rescheduled general election.       

But Amao in a statement exclusively issued to National Pilot in Ilorin, on Sunday, described his purported suspension from the party as laughable and threatened to slam a legal suit on Onagun, who he said, accused him of issuing a dud cheque to the party.

Also, he described his purported suspension as null and void and vowed to continue with his litigation against the party, saying he could not be intimidated.

The statement reads in part, ‘’ My concern is not to make troubles but set a punitive example to would-be aspirant in future. The record is straight and my actions are justified because their shameless press conference is making me stronger and getting more support and sympathy from Kwara electorate.

‘’It is on record that no ratification or voice vote was made for my suspension at the National Executive Council meeting of our party held in Ibadan, last week, where my purported suspension was said to have arrived from. My suspension is a friction and lies which cannot stand.

‘’Also, their claims that I did not pay the nomination form is spurious....I have decided to continue with the court matters as a principle because I wasn’t the only one who was short-changed, but the whole Kwara State. The way forward, we shall cast our vote for either APC or PDP because we believe that Labour Party has no candidate for the governorship race except on one condition that a truce is reached to correct the anomalies.

‘’The constitution of Labour Party allows me a waiver considering the contributions I have single-handedly offered to propel the growth of the party in the state. I vehemently state that I did not give Onagun or the party a dud cheque and if I did, I want him to produce this cheque in twenty-four hours or face litigation for defamation of character’.

‘’However, I want to unequivocally that despite all this, I still remain in Labour Party for the good of the masses and we shall sing our solidarity song one day in voice and in a joyous manner someday’’.