By Favour Adinya and Victory Anty
Upon the constitution of a new Labour Party (LP), Cross River State chapter caretaker committee led by John Ushie, what seems like a fresh crisis is brewing within the party with the ousted State Chairman, Ambassador Ogar Osim, declaring the new committee illegal.
Comrade Ushie, in an address on behalf of the new caretaker committee to Newsmen in Calabar a few days ago, highlighted the committee’s objectives, party building, national development, and assuring that; “We are committed to rebuilding and repositioning the Labour Party in Cross River State. Our focus is on genuine growth, transparency, and accountability.”
The ousted State Chairman, in a statement signed by himself (Ogar Osim) and his publicity secretary, Ofem Lekam Ujong said “The Labour Party State Working Committee led by the duly elected State Chairman, Ogar Osim is aware that some groups of persons led by John Ushie are parading themselves as the leadership of the LP in Cross River State.”
According to the statement: “It is necessary to state clearly that there is no vacuum in Labour Party Cross River State as the current Chairman, Patriarch Ogar Osim and his team of Executives were duly elected at a Congress monitored and documented by INEC in March 2022 for a four-year tenure as enshrined in the party’s constitution.”
However, the new caretaker committee Chairman, Comrade Ushie cleared the air surrounding Ogar Osim’s leadership, stating that: “Ogar Osim’s leadership expired in June 2024. INEC’s non-recognition of his executive committee reinforces this. We will not recognize any parallel leadership,” he said, describing him as “a product of Abure’s accidental leadership.”
Ushie disclosed that interested candidates will pay a minimal fee for party forms, a waiver for genuine applicants, and a crusade for citizens to join the party, with collective effort in building a new and better Nigeria.
“We are not selling party positions,” emphasizing, “this fee is to demonstrate commitment and weed out unserious candidates from the polity.” Just like the crisis rocking the party at the national level, is viewed as a major distraction to the state level considering the local government election beckoning in Cross River.