Lucky Obukohwo Reporting
Deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr. Marvellous Omobayo, has responded to the allegation of being the brain behind the current crisis bedeviling and rocking the foundation of the Edo State chapter of Labour Party (LP)
Recall that the state Youth Leader of the party, Ken Omusi, alongside some youths of the party had last week Thursday stormed the secretariat of the party at Ogbelaka Benin and declared the state executive sacked and pronounced himself as the acting state chairman of the party.
Reacting to the incident, during a press briefing last Saturday, May 11, 2024, governorship candidate of the LP, Barrister Olumide Akpata, accused the deputy governor of sponsoring the youth leader to cause crisis in the party particularly the invasion of the secretariat.
But reacting to the allegation, the deputy governor in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Victor Adefemi, and made to journalists in Benin “disclaimed the spurious allegations of the Labour Party governorship candidate.”
According to the statement, the deputy governor has no place for violence and hatred in his style of politics, urging the LP , governorship candidate to go and verify.
“During the run up to the Labour Party Primaries earlier this year, he showed exemplary leadership by refusing to be part of all the violent intrigues and ‘monetary melodramas’ that led to the emergence of Olumide Akpata as LP’s governorship candidate,” the statement added.
Adefemi, while unequivocally stating that the allegations are “unfounded and baseless,” urged Akpata to “show decorum when making public statements.”
“Barrister Olumide Akpata is hereby urged to excuse the Deputy Governor from Labour Party’s crises. Omobayo has no place for violence and hatred in his style of politics, the Labour Party’s candidate should go and verify this,” the statement said.