Labour Party At A Crossroads Over Buhari, Jonathan

 
The Labour Party (LP) is reportedly at a crossroads over whether to endorse the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the People Democratic Party (PDP) or General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This revealed by the party’s national chairman, Alhaji Abdukadir Salau, during an interview with ThisDay’s correspondent in Abuja at the weekend.

He disclosed that the party will soon settle for one of the two leading presidential candidates, adding that the Labour party was not in hurry to make the endorsement.
The chairman further explained that even up to 48 hours before the presidential election, the leadership of the party would still tell their teaming supporters who to vote for.
“We are already assessing the situation, looking at the manifestos of the two political parties with interest of Nigerians. Other political parties will come together, access the situation, which of the two political parties promises better life for Nigeria and Nigerians; which of the two political parties promises peaceful coexistence in Nigeria, which of the two political parties actually believes that the unity of this country is paramount,” Salau said.
Salau, responding to questions on the chances of his party in the coming elections as well as the defection of Ondo state governor, Olusegun Mimiko, to the PDP,  said the LP was now stronger than when Mimiko was a member.
“Despite the fact that Mimiko decamped, we have more senators in the senate, there are more members in the House of Representatives than we used to have, there are more members in the various Houses of Assembly. When Mimiko decamped, the entire Ebonyi PDP decamped to LP. In Rivers State, we have five good governorship candidates with bright chances, in Cross River State; we have a sitting senator who has moved to the LP. So, while we lost Mimiko, it didn’t have effect on the national body. The only place we felt we have lost somebody was only in Ondo State, it didn’t have effect in all other states so his loss is a gain to the LP. We are comfortable and our party is going to produce at least 15 governors and today like I said earlier, we have individuals whose backgrounds are appreciated by Nigeria and in their states, whose background indicated that they have contributed to their community, their society and their states,” he said.
The chairman, who also spoke on the recent peace pact entered by the presidential candidates to ensure violent free elections, insisted that both the APC and PDP presidential candidates were deceitful.
“The recent peace accord was deceitful, from the angle of the PDP and the APC, they do not believe in the peaceful coexistence of this country. They do not believe in the peaceful coexistence, unity of this country because they are very selfish. Their utterances in recent times to say the least, is very unfortunate, they do not believe what they claim to preach, so their signature is just an appendage that there will be peace,” Salau said.
Meanwhile, it was earlier reported that the Labour Party members in Osun State had adopted President Jonathan and other PDP candidates in the state ahead of the 2015 general elections.