By Nicholas Ojo
The Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has said that the newly appointed Director General (DG) of the Peter Obi Campaign Organization, Akin Osuntokun, is no longer a member of the ZLP, adding that the controversy generated by the appointment is uncalled for.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had insisted that the recently appointed Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign DG, Osuntokun, remains the senatorial candidate for Ekiti Central Senatorial Zone under another political party, the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Osuntokun was appointed the director-general of Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed’s campaign following the resignation of the former DG, Doyin Okupe.
Okupe resigned after he was convicted for breaching the Money Laundering Act by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
But the appointment of Osuntokun, a member of the ZLP, has generated questions as to where his loyalty lies between both parties.
In an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, Osuntokun stated that he had abandoned his senatorial ambition under ZLP to take up the position of Peter Obi’s campaign DG.
It is unclear if he has officially defected to the Labour Party but the LP’s spokesperson, Yinusa Tanko, told our reporter on Thursday that Osuntokun, despite being a candidate of the ZLP, had been working with the LP.
However Zenith Labour Party said Osuntokun resigned from the party since August 2022 and therefore is no longer a member of their ZLP.
This was contained in statement signed by Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, National Chairman/Presidential Candidate of ZLP.
Açcording to the party, “prior to his resignation from ZLP, he held the ticket as a Senatorial Candidate in Ekiti State. As at the time of his resignation, we could not replace him because the window allowed by the Electoral Act for substitution had elapsed.
“We hold no grudges because it is his fundamental right to associate and exit from any organization.
“We wish him well in his new found greener pasture.
“We believe this will put to rest the barrage of inquiries to us in this regard,” the statement added.