APC, PDP mock LP over PCC controversy

The All Progressive Congress and Peoples Democratic Party have mocked the Labour Party over the controversy on the formations of its Presidential Campaign Council.

Controversy brewed between the Labour Party and the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation after the latter unveiled a campaign council consisting of 1,234 members.

Some members of the party had earlier debunked the list of the council, but the PCC was later unveiled and a chieftain of the party, Dr Doyin Okupe, was announced as the Director-General of the Peter Obi/Yusuf Baba-Ahmed Presidential Campaign Council while the presidential candidate and his running mates were absent at the event.

Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the Kwara State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Tajudeen Aro, said the LP lacked the structure to set up an effective presidential campaign council to win the 2023 presidential election.

He said, “Where will they get credible and quality members they will use for their presidential campaign? You can’t give what you don’t have. I don’t see them as a serious party that can challenge the APC.

“For the Labour Party, winning the (presidential) election is not possible because they don’t even have a presence in most states of the federation. I think what they are just doing is to create awareness of their existence and not to win election.

“To us as veteran politicians, we are not moved by their actions. You discovered that most of these young ones are just making jest of the party. They don’t have a serious crowd that will attract votes. They just make noise.”

Also, the spokesperson for the PDP in Oyo State, Akeem Olatunji, said he did not regard the LP as a serious party, but a party that was only involved in publicity stunts.

He stated that anyone voting for the candidates of the LP in 2023 would be wasting his vote.

He said, “The bottom line is structure. Does the LP have the structure? The answer is no. Anybody that is voting for the LP, either in the North or in the South-West and South-South is only going to waste his votes, and instead of wasting vote, why don’t you vote the PDP?’’

Reacting, a chieftain of the LP, Abayomi Arabambi, said the APC and the PDP lacked the understanding of the operations of the LP.

He also said the controversy on the formation of the LP PCC had been resolved and a new list would be unveiled next week.

Arabambi said, “If anybody would accept the fact that there were issues in the announcement of the Campaign Council and they are now saying the party doesn’t have structure, It’s very obvious that they are confused about the parameters we use in our operations.

“We have just finished a press conference now where we agreed that there were omissions and corrections are being made, which is normal for human beings. Nigerians are yearning for a change through our presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who will deliver dividends of democracy.”