Obi-Datti Campaign Council list to be reviewed amid rejection by Labour Party, interest groups

Barely 72 hours after its release, the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council (ODPCC) List is set to be reviewed following wide rejection by interest groups within the Labour Party, as well as, allied blocs of the party’s candidate, Peter Obi.

The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) List was made available, last Wednesday, by its Director General, Dr Doyin Okupe, with 1,234 members comprising individuals from across the country and sectors, however, barely hours after its unveiling, several interest groups within the Labour Party, including some Peter Obi Support Groups rejected its composition, even as the Labour Party questioned the legitimacy of those who drew up the document.

Members of the ODPCC were unveiled at the World Press Conference in Abuja on Wednesday but with major stakeholders not in attendance.

On Wednesday, the National Publicity of the Labour Party, Arabambi Abayomi, dissociated the party from the Presidential Campaign Council List issued on Wednesday.

According to Abayomi, Okupe had no right to announce such a list.

“That is not the party’s programme. He can’t be talking about our party, our party all the time. Which party? Is he the leader of the Labour Party now to announce himself as the DG? It’s an anomaly.

“Who announced the DG of Atiku? Atiku did it. When Tinubu announced his DG, the party did it.

“Where is Peter Obi? Okupe doesn’t know what he is doing. I want to be quoted. The DG ought to go to the North East or North Central. We are not a sectional political party. Our presidential candidate is a pan Nigerian. How can we have a presidential candidate from the South and the campaign DG coming from the same South,” Abayomi said.

This is, however, as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr. Julius Abure immediately disassociated the party from Abayomi’s position.

“My attention has been drawn to a short reaction by our National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Arabambi Abayomi while responding to a reporter’s enquiry via Whatsapp. We are not involved in Dr Okupe mischievous political shenanigans.

“Kindly disregard the statement as it does not emanate from the leadership of the party. It is important to let our esteemed friends of the media know that the leadership of the party fully endorsed the media outing of Peter Obi campaign council.

The party was fully consulted and was represented by a good number of our National Working Committee (NWC) led by the National Secretary,” Abure said.

Further rejection of the PCC List came from interest groups such as the National Consultative Front (NCFront), the umbrella body of the 3rd Force Movement in Nigeria, and the 40Million Ballots Movement.

The NCFront-3rd Force Movement had adopted the Labour Party as its 3rd Force Mega Party for the 2023 Elections in May, 2022.

The group which claims to have over 20 million members across the country capable of winning any election, frowned at the composition of the list, which it said is ‘filled with people who do not believe in the ideology and philosophy of the new Labour Party.’

According to the group, the new ideology is ‘driven by the Nigerian people and not any individual.’

A statement from Communications Executive, NCFront, Bilikis Bello, read: “NCFront Leadership, Stakeholders and Allies demand for a complete overhauling of the demoralizing and demobilizing PCC list before next week, as the list in some cases include the names of some known active members of PDP and APC and opportunistic elements, who are used to reaping from where they have not sown.”

On its part, Convener, 40Million Ballots Movement, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, in a statement said: “Leadership and Stakeholders of the 3rd Force Movement however warn that failure to review and correct the PCC List by this weekend will be followed by a major leadership and stakeholders meeting of all aggrieved Allies of the 3rd Force Movement to review the movement’s continued alliance in Labour Party, which may lead into fresh negotiations with other like-minded political parties and allies, who will be appreciative and accommodating of its rescue agenda with full respect for the teeming members and leadership of the 3rd Force Movement.”

Reacting, to the rejection of the PCC List, Spokesman of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council (ODPCC), Tanko Yunusa, Thursday, accepted that there were objections to the list, just as he disclosed that they were ‘internal issues, which will be resolved soon.’

Furthermore, on Thursday evening, Tanko tweeted that the PCC had noted the ‘issues raised’ about the list released on Wednesday, and would ‘do the needful and an updated list will be released soon.’

One of the controversial names said to have been included in the PCC advisory list was that of former Spokesman of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), now retired, Major General John Enenche, who is alleged to have dismissed the killings which occurred at the Lekki Toll Gate during the famous EndSARS protests by peaceful protesters in the country on October 20, 2020.

According to aggrieved Labour Party supporters, the then DHQ spokesman, Gen. Enenche had reportedly denied any killings by soldiers of peaceful protesters, even as he had described video evidence of the incident as ‘photoshopped and cropped.’

“These videos were cropped and photoshopped.

“If not that I am not permitted, I would have forwarded it to you. Up till this morning, I got analysts to analyze the video and they said it was cropped and put together,” he had said in the now-trending Arise TV video.

General Enenche’s now retired made the PCC List as a representative of the North-Central zone of the country.

Although, neither the ODPCC nor its spokesman, Tanko was yet to issue a confirmation, however, a tweet on the Twitter handle of a support group, the Peter Obi Grassroots Mobilization, late Thursday, claimed that General Enenche (rtd) has been removed from the PCC List.

“BREAKING: Gen. John Enenche has been removed from the Labour Party PCC. Dear Obidients, we are here for you because you’re our strength your voices does matter to us. Thanks so much,” the tweet by the Peter Obi Grassroots Mobilization read.

The PCC spokesman, Tanko, has also yet to confirm when the revised PCC List will be made available to the public.