The crisis of confidence brewing between the Nasarawa State Chairman of the Labour Party, Alexander Emmanuel and the party’s governorship candidate, Mr Joseph Ewuga in Nasarawa state took a new twist Saturday as the governorship has openly accused the party chairman of engaging in anti-party activities.
The governorship candidate told journalists in Lafia that the chairman’s body language suggested that he is working against the party’s chances ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Mr Ewuga alleged that the chairman of the party has been hobnobbing with other political parties to the detriment of the Labour Party in the state.
According to the party flag bearer, the attitude of the chairman is not only becoming inimical to the party but could undermine the fortune of the presidential candidate in 2023.
He said while the party is making significant progress through grassroots mobilisation and sensitisation, which has enhanced its membership drive, the chairman is working with the ruling APC and other interest groups against Labour Party.
“The acceptability rating of the party in the state has been overwhelming as a result of the doggedness of the candidate and other members.
“The recent one million matches in the state, which was my brainchild, has been giving both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sleepless nights,” he noted.
He noted that the party chairman is using the rising profile of the party in the state to feather his own nest by going around to negotiate with other political parties behind key stakeholders.
He gave an instance of how the chairman was allegedly hosted in Jos, Plateau State recently by a candidate of one of the political parties in the race for the 2023 governorship election in the state
He also accused the chairman of refusing to carry him and others along in the party’s activities, while also alleging that the chairman has severally attempted to replace him with another person as party candidate before the window was closed for candidates’ substitution.
He urged the party’s national leadership to call the chairman to order before much harm is done to the party in the state and undermines the progress so far made.
However, when contacted for his comment on the controversy, the chairman of the party, Mr Emmanuel said he can only speak in presence of a governorship candidate.
He said he was instrumental to the emergence of Mr Ewuga as the candidate of the party even though the odds were high against him (Ewuga).
“He cannot be bigger than the party. I have nurtured this party to this level, so constitutionally, the supremacy of the party prevails,” he explained.
He promised to report the development in the party to the national headquarters for intervention at the appropriate time.
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