- Safiu Kehinde
The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Barrister Julius Abure, has given late Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the credit for the party’s strong performance at the 2023 General Election.
Abure said that Pa Ayo Adebanjo’s trouble shooting efforts not only engendered peace in Labour Party but also propelled the party into achieving massive successes in the last general election.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiorah Ifoh.
According to the statement, Abure had led a strong team of the Labour Party executives to the Lagos State home of the late Afenifere leader over the weekend.
While giving Pa Adebanjo credit for the Labour Party’s strong performance at the 2023 General election, Abure also held that Lagos becomes the party’s strong base on account of his interventions in resolving the party’s crisis.
“I can remember whenever, crisis comes up, how he will summon me to Lagos. We will discuss and reach an amicable resolution of those crisis.
“He navigated several of such cases particularly in Lagos State and today, Lagos State is one of the strongest base of the party. Our strong performance in the last general election can be credited to his several interventions.” Abure said.
The Labour Party President admitted to have learnt the culture of defending democracy and rule of law from Pa. Adebanjo.
He further recalled how Pa. Adebanjo had led the struggle for the enthronement of democracy with the Labour Party.
“I learnt a lot from Pa Adebanjo personally, that culture of resistance, that culture of defending what is right, the culture of defending democracy, defending the rule of law, I learnt it from Pa Adebanjo.
“I am happy that the struggle to enthroned democracy in Nigeria was achieved in his life time.
“Many of his contemporaries were not that lucky. He saw unbroken democracy for close to 25 years and he participate in it.
“You will recall that Labour Party played a major role in the 2023 general election. Nigerians were desirous to have a third force political party, a party with a distinct ideology.
“So when I took over the leadership of the party, we decided to strategically position the party to play that role and we started searching for credible Nigerians who are of the the same mindset of good governance and for better Nigeria.
“We were able to identify and put together all our candidates from the presidential candidate down to the least position and the ruling oligarchy didn’t believe what they saw in the 2023 general election.
“For the first time, we mobilized the youths of this country. For the first time, the youth of the country saw hope and they were living it, they envisioned themselves in it and we were able to achieve that change. Pa Adebanjo as old as he was, led the struggle.” He said.
Abure who noted that Pa Adebanjo died a proud supporter of the Labour Party said the party will stand by the family at all times.
Earlier, Barrister Abure had the privilege of personally welcoming into the Labour Party fold, hundreds of decampees led by Hon. Bartholomew Chima OmoBarca. He also commissioned the state of the art Ajeromi Ifelodun LGA Secretariat donated by Omobarca.
Lagos State 2025 Labour Party governorship candidate Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour, FCT chairman, Dr Dayo Ekong, members of the Federal and State Assembly members were also present at the occasion.