Olumide Akpata Speaks On Dumping Labour Party To Join APC

The Labour Party (LP) 2024 gubernatorial candidate in Edo State, Olumide Akpata, has dismissed reports of defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Naija News reports that Akpata, in a post via 𝕏, described the reports of abandoning the Labour Party as mischievous and false.

Akpata maintained that he neither contemplated, discussed, nor effected a defection to the APC.

He wrote, “In the past 24 hours, a malicious, mischievous and utterly false rumour has been concocted in the dark alleys of social media, and unfortunately amplified by mischief-makers, alleging that I have abandoned the @NgLabour Party, the very platform on which I contested the 2024 Edo State gubernatorial election, to join the All Progressives Congress, APC.

“This is not only false but laughable. I state without equivocation that I have neither contemplated, discussed, nor effected a defection to the APC and for the avoidance of doubt, I have no intention of ever joining the APC.”

In related news, the Labour Party (LP) has described the sudden defection of its former Lagos governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as hasty and ill-advised.

Rhodes-Vivour has formally joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Speaking shortly after his defection ceremony held in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos, Rhodes-Vivour stated that the ADC represents a strong coalition to rescue Nigeria ahead of the 2027 elections.

However, in a statement, LP’s interim National Publicity Secretary, Tony Akeni, said Rhodes-Vivour’s action showed he had jumped the gun and failed to imbibe the political approach of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Akeni argued that Rhodes-Vivour should have taken a cue from Peter Obi, who has continued to engage opposition parties without leaving the LP.

According to him, it was already a settled consensus within the LP that no single opposition party, including itself, could single-handedly dislodge the APC in 2027.

However, he maintained that Rhodes-Vivour’s choice to quit the party was not the way forward.