Leaders and members of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in Ondo State, on Monday, resigned their membership from the party and collapsed the structure into a political group, Grassroots Progressive Network (GPN)
The former members of the ZLP who promised to disclose their next line of action, said the decision to collapse into the GPN under the leadership of the lawmaker representing Akoko North East/ West, Hon. Olubunmi Ojo was borne out of the desire to bring dividends of democracy to the people of the grassroots.
Some of the defectors included ZLP State Organising Secretary, Hon. Femi Kukoyi, National auditor, Dr. Oyegoke, 13 local government chairmen and their executives, 161 wards chairmen and members of the ZLP.
At its emergency meeting in Akure, Ondo State capital, which was convened by the State Deputy Chairman of ZLP, Adebayo Abayomi, who said the decision to join hands with Ojo, “this is to enable us to refocus our energy, resources, and intellect into creating the Ondo State and by large the Nigeria of our desire by grassroots mobilisation into action through GPN.
“GPN is a political platform that accommodates like-mind across party divides in the country as evident in our gathering today.
“For us to undertake the enormous responsibilities that come with this new vision, it has become imperative for us to resign our appointment and membership of ZLP.
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In a motion moved by Abayomi, they promised to deploy their grassroots structure to ensure that “Poverty, injustice and gross inequality which has become a recurring decimal in our society be corrected,”
Abayomi described the disconnect between the governed and the elected as unfortunate and said “elected political office holders ride on the grassroots, they lobby for grassroots voted and afterward become unreachable and inaccessible to the genuine clamour of the masses after electoral victory”
He said they decided to collapse into the group to be an effective medium and voice to channel the grouses and reservations of the people to those who make the political decisions that shape their lives.
“GPN is poised to harnessing the power in the people’s numerical strength to bringing the dividends of democracy to them through coordinated activities
“We shall encourage members of the community to contribute to the development of their community by taking actions and becoming responsible in their neighborhood”
and then