By CHARLES IWUOHA

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council (OYC) Worldwide has cautioned concerned stakeholders in Imo state to be wary of repeat of the 2019 electoral fraud perpetrated during the gubernatorial primary election of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) that set the party into political oblivion, to prevent future re-occurrence in Labour Party (LP).

National President of OYC, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, in a statement on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, noted that he has watched with keen interest, the political intrigues going on in Labour Party, saying that “such political chameleonistic dribbling” would be worse than the fraud Chief Victor Oye-led APGA did in Imo State during the 2019 guber elections.

According to Igboayaka: “It can be recalled that before the 2019 general election, APGA had over 20 gubernatorial aspirants and was seen as a new bride of political consolation in Imo state until some unscrupulous political actors committed the worst electoral fraud in the history of guber primary election in Nigeria under the watch of their National Chairman, Victor Oye.

“Unfortunately, with the current political dribbling, dishonesty, operating below the constitutional standards of Labour Party, it’s becoming obvious that Labour Party will produce a corrupt and incompetent guber candidate because they have compromised the standard of the ‘Obident Movement’ in search of a new governor in the state.

“The leaders in the party are becoming more corrupt and self-centered than the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Their interests are aligned with what goes into their pockets rather than how to conduct a credible primary election that will give Ndi Imo a competent guber candidate.

“The early warning and signal coming from the whole arrangement towards the Labour Party guber primary and congress indicates that if caution is not taken, by bringing back some credible past State Executive Committee that was elected during the 2018 State Congress, the party will collapse just like APGA in 2019 after her primary election.

“It’s therefore the primary concern of Ndigbo that Labour Party shouldn’t die like APGA. It requires the most political strategy and integrity towards the process of her primary election and congress; majority of her National Working Committee may commit a political suicide that will bury Labour Party and that is why we sound this warning for them to be transparent and honest in all their dealings.

OYC added that the signs of the balkanization of Labour Party in Imo State were taking real dimensions as few of the aspirants are looking for what to grab due to the ‘Obidient Political’ Wave.

“Many aspirants are political moles on a planned mission to officiate the death and burial of the party with consistent litigations until the gubernatorial election is over in November 2023,” the statement said.

Ohanaeze youth Council said “it will be unfortunate experience and loss of confidence by Imolites, if the obituary of Labour Party happens so quick at its peak of high expectations from Ndigbo.”