Former state House of Assembly speaker Elizabeth Ativie, along with a few other people, appeared in a film that purportedly showed the swearing-in of a 17-member caretaker committee for the party in the state. As a result, the Labour Party in Edo has terminated Ativie’s membership.
Ativie was suspended in her ward, Ward 4, Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State on May 4 and the suspension was later approved at the local government area level on May 30, according to information revealed by the party’s state chairman during a stakeholders meeting on Saturday in Benin City.
The following is a partial copy of the letter that Ativie’s ward chairman, Charles Usiesefe, and ward secretary, Mike Ighile, signed announcing her suspension:
“Your suspension as a member of Ward 4 in Uhunmwode local government area has been approved by the Labour Party’s Ward (4) Uhunmwode LGA executives after due consideration of your gross anti-party activities and insubordination,” the statement said.
“You are advised to refrain from holding out or parading yourself as a member of the Labour Party, Ward 4, Uhunmwode LGA, even though this suspension is effective immediately.”
Olumide Akpata, the party’s candidate for governor of Edo on September 21st, who was present at the meeting, gave members of the party in the state advice on how to focus and reject outside distractions in order to achieve their electoral objective.
According to Akpata, there is no legal document from the relevant party organ at the national level that notifies the Edo State Labour Party of the dissolution of its state working committee or the appointment of a new leadership team apart from Kelly Ogbaloi’s state working committee.
According to Akpata, the status quo antebellum should be upheld in the lack of such a formal instrument.
“Keep in mind what our regulations state. We have regulations, don’t they? You have to remain impartial. I haven’t seen any paperwork notifying us of the change in our state working committee.
Is there a process outlined in our constitution for accomplishing this? Indeed. When the instrument arrives, if at all, we must question if the proper protocol was followed.
“For the time being, the most important thing is to keep things as they were—status quo ante bellum,” he said.
He continued by outlining the party’s pre-event state, which included a Kelly Ogbaloi-led state working committee.
