Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Labour Party in Bauchi state has been plunged into crisis as Mr Edeh Benjamin says he remain the State Publicity Secretary of the party.
Benjamin stated this while briefing journalists on Wednesday in Bauchi, saying nobody sacked me officially as the publicity Secretary of the party.
He said no concrete reason was given by the state Chairman of the party for his removal from office which he said was communicated to him via telephone.
Benjamin maintained that he remains the Publicity Secretary as the Chairman has no constitutional power to remove him from office.
According to him, none of the Obidatti or Labour party leadership came through congress election or consensus nor given letters of appointment, “Including the Chairman, but were selected based on commitment and loyalty to the cause of the Obi Movement,” he said.
Mr Benjamin, who is also the Head of Media for the ObiDatti Movement in the State said he does not have the power to remove me at all.
“I don’t really know what is going on and I want the Chairman to come and tell the whole world and the Obidatti Movement what is his hidden agenda and why he removed me.”
Benjamin said the chairman chose a state Publicity Secretary to replace him three days ago who is already acting in that capacity.
He said every avenue to resolve the issue has failed as the chairman has stopped picking my calls.
“Only to pick once and told me that I am now the zonal Publicity Secretary for Bauchi south and they have chosen a new State Publicity Secretary. He said.
In his response, Mr Hussaini Saraki the LP State Chairman has accused Mr Benjamin was never the State Publicity Secretary being a new entrant in the LP.
“Who has spent barely three months but if he insists he is the State Publicity Secretary then let him show his letter of appointment.
” I decided to link him with our Zonal Chairman Pastor Joshua Sunday. He was not given a letter of appointment but was engaged on a provisional basis as Zonal Publicity Secretary.
“There were lots of complaints against his appointment but I ignored them and insisted that we need people with capacity,” he said.
Saraki claimed that Edeh disrespected the Zonal Vice Chairman of the Labour Party in the state and refused to take directives hence it was difficult to work with him.
