It was not surprising that both Alhaji Abdulkadr A. Salam and Dr Kayode Ajulo have both toed the same line in the matter of the recent defection of Dr Abdulrahamon Olusegun Mimiko to Labour Party (LP). Nothing contrary was expected from the duo as birds of the same feather flock together and more so that they both belong to the same “infantile disorder “in their veil/ or pseudo ideological pursuits. The very prompt response of Alh. Salam and Dr Ajulo to the disorderly and incongruous defection is a clear pointer to the fact that Nigerians must be wary of those they regard as men of honour. In fact, they are better described and categorized as men of dishonor and enemies of genuine emancipation of the masses.
Going down memory lane, in 2014 a convention purportedly held in Akure, which was controversial in form and content foisted Alh. Salam and Dr Ajulo onto the main leadership rung of LP with a view to continuing and consolidating their dirty political activities and the rots initiated by Mr Dan Nwanyanwu whom Dr Mimiko used, as a payrolled stooge, throughout his tenure as governor of Ondo State. Dan Nwanyanwu as a de facto national leader of the party found a common ground with Dr Mimiko to consciously distance LP from the NLC and continue the rots they had created in the party.
On the day of hand-over to the corrupt leadership of Alh. Salam and Dr Ajulo and co., Mr Nwanyanwu shed crocodle’s tears, just to cajole and deceive unsuspecting Nigerians. Ironically, just around last year, the same Barr. Nwanyanwu, who was the immediate past national chairman of LP, was on TV as a chieftain of Advanced Party for Democratic Alliance (APDA), an offshoot of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), founded to salvage the Senator Ahmed Makarfi faction of PDP in the event they lost to Senator Alimodu Sheriff in the leadership legal crisis that engulfed the party in the past two years.
Where is morality in being a former national chairman of a party and in a short while hobnobbing with another party as a chieftain? Something is definitely and fundamentally wrong. No sense of decency and morality which is the common attitude and character of Barr. Dan Nwanyanwu and Dr Mimiko and the duo of A. A SALAAM and Dr Ajulo whom both left behind to hold forte for them. It will therefore not be surprising to see Dan nwanyanwu, Ajulo and Akinlaja, all heading back to their “ empire” Labour Party since their master in the game has returned “home”.
Before and after their exit from the LP, Mr Nwanyanwu and Dr Ajulo had always supported and spoken in favour of the illegal process that brought Alh. Salam to power to the extent that the trio had the-effrontery and singular dishonour to challenge NLC on the ownership of Labour Party in a High Court in ABUJA. Sooner or later a foundation built on falsehood will definitely collapse. Dan and Ajulo could no longer cope with the crudity of Salaam but both share in the same mission; had to resign from their posts as Chairman Board of Trustees and National Secretary respectively. This act/exploit of theirs is not unexpected anyway judging by their character; but, it is ridiculous that they both as legal practitioners could support and be ready to die for a flagrant illegality. It is a very sad commentary, that some lawyers in and outside Labour Party are supporting the running of an institutional party as LP without any strict adherence to its rules, regulations, constitution and philosophy as espoused by its owner and promoter, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
For the avoidance of doubt, all insinuations and innuendos as to the owner of the Labour Party has been laid to rest by the recent judgment of the Abuja High Court to the effect that “ LABOUR PARTY THOUGH NOT A TRADE UNION IS AN INSTITUTIONAL POLITICAL PARTY FOUNDED, PROMOTED AND REGISTERED BY NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS ( NLC) ON BEHALF OF THE NIGERIAN WORKERS”. The consent judgment further affirmed “ THAT PARTIES AGREED TO CONVENE AND EXPANSIVE AND INCLUSIVE CONVENTION OF THE PARTY AS STIPULATED BY THE PARTY CONSTITUTION “.
In keeping with the spirit and letter of this judgment and by its unique and enviable position of being the owner of one and only institutional political party and conscious of the fact that the party has been enmeshed in crisis ;convened an all inclusive NATIONAL WORKING COMMITTEE which had not been able to meet in the last two years. At the said NWC meeting a peace accord was struck without any dissenting views or opinions. A. A. SALAAM with all members of EXCO OF AKURE CONVENTION AND MEMBERS PURPORTEDLY EXPELLED FROM THE PARTY WERE IN ATTENDANCE.
Consequent upon the peace accord A. A. SALAM in his capacity as the National Chairman was directed by the N. W. C. IN- SESSION TO WRITE INEC AND GIVE A 21 Days notice to hold the long awaited meeting of the NEC of the Party. It is a matter for regrets that he reneged on this accord that could have brought lasting peace to the party; instead, he chose to collude and conspire with Dr Mimiko with a view to continuing their affront against the Party.
Good enough that Dr Ajulo in his swift reaction in a media report quickly stated that Labour Parties all over the world are “more organized and effective”, affirming that in the UK where he did his PhD, the party is run in accordance with its basic tenets, principles and philosophy. But can he in all honesty assert to the fact that LP in Nigeria is run in a way and manner as it is in other climes. It was also disappointing that he (Dr Ajulo) allowed illegality to thrive when he was the national scribe of the party and still supporting same illegality and lack of due process as eloquently demonstrated in the last Thursday defection of Dr Mimiko. Dr Ajulo, who resigned his secretaryship of LP for reasons best known to him used all his legal training and qualifications acquired in and outside Nigeria to perpetrate gross injustice and wreck havoc on the political career of some highly reputable individuals who were genuine loyal members of LP. Let us ask Dr Ajulo, Alh. Salam, Mr Nwanyanwu and Dr Mimiko who they handed LP to in Oyo State in the wake of 2015 general elections. The party was handed over to political miscreants, rolling stones like Mr Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli and fair weather political opportunists like Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala. They are goners! As of this moment, they have pitched their tent with other parties.
Others they brought in through the backdoor and imposed on the genuine members have negotiated their ways into other parties while the remnants of the wreck are currently going into alliance with another party. Is AA Salam, the current embattled chairman, NOT the one that asked or permitted them to form alliance with other parties in the state? If he had let them go through due process and obey the existing order before coming into the party, LP in the state may not have been in limbo today.
AA Salam and Dr Ajulo, under the watch and command of Dr Mimiko and his lapdog Hon Joseph Akinlaja, brought in “yahoo-yahoo” and caricatured politicians into LP and destroyed the very foundation of the party in the state. This illustrates the extent of damage these “gentle men” have done to LP. No matter his so called milestones in governance, Dr Ajulo is aware but being economical with the truth, Dr Mimiko, on his way out of LP in 2014, left a troubled, disorganized party which today is in urgent need for healthy recovery. So, in party leadership, administration and management, as far as LP is concerned, Dr Abdulrahamon Olusegun Mimiko is a complete failure.
The claim by Dr Mimiko that he left LP in order to help the then ruling party, PDP and also achieve his restructuring plan is laughable and does not hold water. Must he leave or collapse his party just because he believed in another party’s agenda or before he could work with any other party for what appears clearly as a desperate pursuit for a personal political interest? For those who are talking of the freedom of association like Dr Ajulo would want us to believe, Dr Mimiko’s defection constitutes serious ANTI PARTY ACTIVITY THAT WARRANT NO LESS SANCTION THAN EXPULSION.
Freedom of association does not condone opportunism, perfidy, dishonesty and lawlessness. We should not be fooled. Dr Mimiko knows how alliances that work are being crafted. Throughout his eight-year tenure, Dr Mimiko could not build or make LP expand even in his state, talk less of other states of the federation. Of the so called “mammoth crowd “ that filled the venue of his purported return to LP how many of them are card carrying and dues paying members? He who pays the piper dictates the tune.
However, be it understood that the idea of renting crowd to attend a political rally is totally repugnant to our labour culture and tradition. That’s not the way NLC wants to go, otherwise it will not be different from other political parties.
Before the defection of Dr Mimiko, Alh. A. Salam, on whose neck is hanged case(s) of financial misappropriation and other charges on the violation of constitutional provisions of Labour Party, had been playing along with the NLC so as to have a soft landing as a FORMER LABOUR LEADER. Now that his “boss” and co-traveller in impropriety, illegality is “back,” the beast in Salam has risen/resurrected again, hence the release of a press statement welcoming Dr Mimiko back, thus discountenancing the collective decisions earlier announced by Dr Mike Omotosho for and on behalf of the LP in his capacity as the Chairman Board of Trustees as unanimously agreed to at the aforementioned PEACE ACCORD NATIONAL WORKING COMMITTEE. This is a clear testimony to the old African saying that a leopard can never change its skin. The press statement by Alh Salam shortly after the defection was carefully written as any mention of the NLC/TUC leaders was completely circumvented/avoided.
This shows that Alh. Salam has been hunting with hounds and running with the hares. Of course, it also goes without saying that all of them, Dr Mimiko, Mr Nwanyanwu, Dr Ajulo and Alh. Salam do not have any regard for the interest, stake and status of the NLC/TUC as the main owner and promoter of the LP; this is even in spite of the consent judgment he (Salam) assented to. Is he NOT risking contempt of court by flagrantly flouting the terms and conditions of settlement out of court? Time will tell.
Curiously, why were labour leaders, the serving and the veterans not on hand to receive Dr Mimiko into their party? Why did the state exco of LP, NLC AND TUC in ONDO State not on hand to receive him back to their own party? This must be a food for thought for all those claiming to welcome Dr Mimiko back to Labour Party.
The traditional chief of Paiko, Alh. Abdulkadr Salam “Baraden Paiko”, should specifically answer this question. Why was Ondo State party EXCO led by its chairman not on ground to welcome Dr Mimiko “back” into LP? The answer is not far fetched. There have never been substantive party EXCOs across the states of the federation for more than two years. That is the kind of party “Chief “Salam is chairing and wants our party to continue to run that way so that he would carry on as usual using the platform to negotiate for his pockets.
Prior to Mimiko’s defection back to LP and God knows his next destination, A A. Salam has never called NWC or NEC meeting for close to two years, except the aforementioned PEACE ACCORD NWC the NLC promoted a couple of weeks ago. As a traitor he is, as soon as he perfected clandestine plans ,as usual ,with Dr Abdulrahamon Mimiko and co, Chief Salam showed his true duplicitous character again by abandoning the NLC/TUC and in particular the COURT CONSENT JUDGMENT to his detriment and peril as going forward will soon catch up with him. This brings to mind the role of INEC in the matter of LABOUR PARTY AS A REGULATOR.
Curiously, it’s on record that INEC monitored the two purportedly held conventions in AKURE AND ABUJA respectively. What a circus and drama.! As a regulatory body is INEC not aware that LABOUR PARTY has not held its NWC AND NEC FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS in gross and flagrant violation of its constitutional provisions? yet it chose to look the other way and pretended to be officious by claiming to recognize A. A. SALAAM that is not presiding over any ORGAN of the party and at the same time accepting “ CANDIDATES“ to contest elections.
INEC should retrace it’s steps in order to sustain the much desired public confidence required of it in our journey to 2019.
In the same vein, Dr Mimiko is free to pitch his tent with any party of his choice as alluded to by Dr Ajulo, but why is it difficult for him (Dr Mimiko) to follow simple due process, by giving honour to whom honour is due, if he is genuine in his mission to return to Labour Party, a party he left in shreds? Why can’t he and AA Salam work out plans of repositioning the party genuinely with the leadership of NLC and TUC.
For those who care to know, the history of our movement has, time and time again, made it abundantly clear that the Labour Party is not a platform for lawlessness, the fantastically corrupt, slavish CHARACTERS and others of their ilk, who may want to find refuge in Labour Party.
Labour Party… Forward Ever; Backward Never!
Authored by Aremo Adeola Adepoju, Convener/Chairman, Congress of Promoters of Labour Party Ideals (CPLPI), Oyo State.
