The Labour Party has debunked a propaganda campaign allegedly being promoted by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), involving a photograph of its gubernatorial candidate, Olumide Akpata, with Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
In a statement, the Labour Party condemned this attempt, not merely as “blatant propaganda,” but as an act of character assassination aimed at undermining its candidate, who is considered a strong contender in the upcoming Edo State governorship election.
Clarifying the context of the photograph, which the PDP has reportedly used to suggest a vote-splitting strategy in favor of the APC, the Labour Party explained that the picture was taken when Femi Gbajabiamila was the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Olumide Akpata was the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) from 2020 to 2022.
During Akpata’s tenure, the NBA collaborated closely with the National Assembly to provide legal expertise on key legislative matters, culminating in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on law reform between the House of Representatives and the Akpata-led NBA.
“The People’s Democratic Party is once again resorting to blatant propaganda and character assassination in a desperate attempt to undermine the credibility of Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party candidate for the Edo State gubernatorial election. This time, they have concocted a ludicrous narrative claiming that Akpata is being secretly sponsored by the APC to “waste votes” and divide the electorate.
“The PDP’s claims are not only baseless but also reek of the most shameless hypocrisy. They have the audacity to point fingers at Akpata while conveniently ignoring the well-documented ties between their own candidate, Asue Ighodalo, and the APC.
“Let’s start with the so-called “proof” the PDP has presented—the pictures of Akpata with the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. The PDP shamelessly attempts to obscure the fact that Gbajabiamila was the Speaker of the House of Representatives during the same period that Akpata served as the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) from 2020 to 2022. As the foremost body of legal professionals in the country, the NBA expectedly had engagements with the National Assembly on key legislative matters, including the landmark 2022 Electoral Act, so these interactions were routine and commonplace.
“In fact, under Akpata’s leadership, the NBA worked closely with the NASS to provide input and expertise on important pieces of legislation. This culminated in the signing of an MOU on law reform between the House of Representatives and the Olumide Akpata-led NBA. (https://www.facebook.com/share/EmhpNRqPdvebHCyg/?mibextid=WC7FNe)
“Now, let’s turn our attention to the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, whose ties to the APC are far more concerning and damning. Apart from shamelessly serving in the Oshiomhole and later Godwin Obaseki-led APC government in Edo State, Ighodalo was also appointed by the Buhari-led APC government to the Board of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) (https://www.financialnigeria.com/fg-reconstitutes-nsia-s-board-appoints-nine-directors-sustainable-photovideo-details-761.html). This clearly demonstrates the PDP candidate’s cozy and unbreakable association with the very party he and his supporters now hypocritically try to tie to Akpata.
“Even more comical is the fact that, at the same time, the APC has also released their own propaganda video saying that Olumide Akpata is being sponsored by the PDP-led Obaseki government. This begs the question: what exactly are these two fingers of a leprous hand, the PDP and APC, so afraid of in the towering image of Olumide Akpata? How can both the APC and PDP be funding one man? Is it because Akpata has decided to put the people before politics with his constant engagement with the diverse citizens of Edo State, constantly on the streets selling his vision? Well, I advise these abject symbols of failure to go and meet the people and campaign instead of engaging in baseless and silly propaganda and strawman arguments. These are old tricks that have lost potency as people have become wiser.
“It is the misrule and serial rape of the people by the PDP and APC that has brought the people and the country, including Edo State, to their knees. The people are tired of these parties and their self-serving antics, which is why Olumide Akpata’s popularity is growing on a daily basis as the people see in him a credible alternative who will put their interests first. Indeed, both of these parties are acknowledging the decades of failure they have put on display in their misgovernance. That’s why they are desperate to sow the seeds of doubt that Akpata is of the same stock as them.
“It is evident that the PDP is tying themselves in knots and is engaged in a classic case of the most shameless projection, where they are desperately trying to shift the focus away from their own candidate’s dubious ties to the APC. This is a blatant attempt to mislead the people of Edo State and distract them from the real issues that matter to their well-being and development.
“Edo voters are sophisticated and discerning and will not be swayed by these lazy attempts to malign Akpata’s character. They can see that among the three leading candidates, Olumide Akpata is the only one who has not been tarnished by the APC and PDP decades of failure. This is why the people of Edo State trust Akpata to put their interests first and are ready to vote overwhelmingly for him in the upcoming gubernatorial election on September 21, the statement read.
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