Former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, was today officially named the Grand Patron of Labour Party (LP) in Ogun state.
Daniel is currently on suspension slammed on him by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for alleged anti-party activities.
He lost out in the political leadership tussle of the state he governed for eight years, after Gen. Tunji Olurin (rtd), an ally of former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, clinched the PDP governorship ticket in 2011.
Daniel’s protege, Gboyega Isiaka, who contested on the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) which the ex-governor promoted, eventually lost the election to incumbent Governor, Ibikunle Amosun of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
Addressing a press conference today in Abeokuta, the state LP Secretary, Sunday Oginni, disclosed that the party approached Daniel and made him its “grand patron.”
Oginni, flanked by other state executive members of LP, stated that his party needed Daniel and other experienced politicians in the state ahead of the 2015 general election.
He disclosed that the party has constituted ward, local and state registration committees to conduct membership registration in the state between 28 August and 10 September this year.
The scribe however, denied that the party structure had been handed over to the former governor, saying he would only play advisory role.
“We want to say it categorically that the executives of Labour Party approached Otunba Gbenga Daniel as a social democrat to be our grand patron and he has accepted. This is not about political affiliation; he has been the governor of Ogun State for good eight years and we know most of his programmes belong to social democracy, he said.
“If the leading lights in PDP like Daniel have decided to join Labour Party, it means the remnants of PDP in Ogun State are already in mortuary, embalmed and to be buried come May 29, 2015. Politics is about consultation, lobbying and taking advice here and there. Daniel is a progressive by all ramifications and when we look at all his programmes, it falls in line with the ideology of Labour Party.”
Speaking on the party’s plans for the 2015 poll, the party’s financial Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, said competent candidates would be fielded for various elective positions.
“We have equal opportunity and social justice in Labour Party. But I can assure you that our candidates for all elections are candidates to beat and these are people who will change the fortune of Ogun State”, he said.
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