Crisis in Labour Party as Awamaridi lays claim to party’s governorship ticket in Lagos

With just 48 hours to the Lagos State governorship election, the state chapter of Labour Party has been hit by a fresh crisis after one of the chieftains, Ifagbemi Awamaridi, claimed he was the party’s authentic governorship candidate in the state.

Awamaridi, who addressed journalists at a press briefing in Lagos, said he was elected the LP candidate at the party’s governorship primary held in July last year.

The party’s recognised candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has been endorsed by some groups and individuals ahead of Saturday’s election in the state.

Awamaridi, however, claimed that he had written a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), informing the commission that he had not withdrawn from the race.

According to him, a candidate can only withdraw from an election after signing a letter of oath or form 11B presented by INEC.

He added that his appeal on the LP governorship primary was still pending at the Supreme Court.

Awamaridi said: “In July 2022, INEC published the name of the Labour Party candidate and the name is Prof. Ifagbemi Awamaridi based on the fact that I won the primary.

READ ALSO: Lagos APC dismisses Afenifere’s endorsement of Labour Party guber candidate, Rhodes-Vivour

“The party forwarded the name to INEC around July 5 and INEC published the name around July 25 and that name subsists.

“Later on, I discovered that the name has changed and some party leaders decided to organise a substitution primary and claimed that I have withdrawn from the race.”

But Rhodes-Vivour dismissed the claim in a programme on Arise TV on Thursday morning.

He said: “That case is done with. I won at both the High Court and Appeal Court. There is no case at the Supreme Court.”

Also, the LP chairman in the state, Dayo Ekong, in a chat with journalists alleged that Awamaridi was being used to disrupt the party’s preparation for the election.

He insisted that Awamaridi was not the party’s authentic candidate in the state.

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