Rivers: LP chairman, Dokubo assures party still intact

The Rivers State Labour Party has reassured its supporters and the general public that it is strong and stable.

Dienye Pepple, the party’s suspended state chairman, filed a lawsuit, but a court in Rivers State threw it out.

Following his alleged anti-party activities in the state, the former chairman asked the court to rule on whether or not the party’s national chairman, Julius Abure, had the exclusive right to suspend the state executives and appoint a steering committee.

Dienye, leader of the rival Labour Party faction in the state, claims he is still the party’s chairman and that the factional Acting National Chairman, Lamidi Apapa, has authorised him to lead the party in the state till their convention.

As a result, the state’s Labour Party has been rather quiet since the elections.

But in her first official move as the party’s leader in the state, following Pepple’s suspension, Hilda Dokubo remarked that the party had been silent because people needed time to heal from the outcome of the elections.

After the elections and all that took place, I thought, “You know, right. Very few people required rest and recuperation.

The situation was the same for us. The current exco, before the election, not only got involved in anti-party activity but also had their tenure expire.

But they didn’t want to go, and they insisted on having their cake both ways. You’ve finished dining and you presume that the leftovers are currently baking.

So, to the praise of God and the revealing of the truth, they dragged us before a judge. The judge issued a ruling declaring the party to be absolute. Whoever the party claims to be their leader actually holds that position.

I’m Hilda Dokubo, and I’ll be your host today. As the chairman, I am only beginning my duties. I’ve called this meeting because I feel it’s important to reassure everyone that the party is solid. It’s impossible for anything to go wrong at this point.

As a nation, we are strong because of the unity of its people.

Together, we’re stronger than we were before. Training and retraining are among the upcoming celebrations.

People need to know what they’re supposed to do, not just as party members but as American citizens.

Just because I didn’t vote in an election doesn’t mean I’m done being a citizen, as the speaker pointed out. We’re doing this to get our spirits back up, and to let everyone know that we’re finally here to stay.

Dokubo, a well-known Nollywood actress, has stated that the party has not given up on the 2023 election and is instead waiting for the courts to save Nigeria in 2027.

Dokubo said, “By the court and by the party, he has been expelled.” This was in response to a remark by Favour Reuben, the former South-South Vice Chairman of the party, in which Reuben blamed Peter Obi for the internal turmoil rocking the Labour Party. This is the equivalent of an outsider criticising Congress from the floor.

Therefore, it is completely irrelevant to me. Favour should go to the location of his fish if he has bones to pick.

It’s absurd to accuse Peter Obi of anything. He needs to reflect on what he has done to better himself. That’s all she had to say.

Gogo Wellington, Rivers State Organising Secretary and Spokesperson of the Labour Party, said that the gathering’s goal was to reassure party members in all twenty of the state’s LGAs that the Party was still on track to reclaim their mandate at the presidential election petition tribunal.

“Today’s event was a way to rally all party members and Obidients across the state behind our fight for justice.

We’re still keeping an eye on our principal’s court case and waiting for the verdict, which has been reserved for a date that has not yet been announced.

All of that has the potential to sow seeds of doubt in people’s minds.

So, we gathered supporters from all 23 local government areas (LGAs) to address pressing concerns and reassure them of the party’s continued momentum towards regaining its mandate.

Regarding Dienye Pepple, Wellington pointed out that he and the other suspended excos made the decision to back Peoples Democratic Party governor Siminalayi Fubara over their own party’s nominee, Beatrice Itubo, in the run-up to the March 2023 gubernatorial election.