By Murtado Ishola, Abuja
The National Youth Leader of the Labour Party (LP), Prince Kennedy Ahanot in this Exclusive Interview advised politicians to be guided by the constitution of party in conducting their affairs and gives reason why Nigerian Youths should conduct themselves so that there would be meaningful development in Nigeria while dwelling on the preparation of his party ahead of 2027 General Election, among others. Excerpt:
Q: We know that Mr. Peter Obi was the former Labour Party presidential candidate, there is a rumor that he is no more in the Labour Party, is it true or false?
A: Did you hear me introducing myself as personal assistance to Mr. Peter Obi or did I introduced myself as a spokesperson to Mr. Obi?. That question should be directed to the Chairman of Labour Party. I am not the state chairman, I am not the national chairman of Labour party or local government chairman to know if he still a member of the party or not. So, the best person to answer this question is Mr. Peter Obi himself, his state chairman, his ward chairman his local government chairman or his spokesperson.
Q: But the rumor is that he has left the party?
A: I did not hear the rumor, I didn’t listen to rumor. I read news, when I see news I read but I don’t listen to rumor. As a public leader you don’t provide leadership bearing rumor.
Q: But in reality is he still in the party?
A: You are still asking the same question that I said I am directing you to go and ask those close to him.
Q : In Nigeria some of the youths of this are engaging in Internet fraud also known as yahoo, yahoo activities.
As a leader and youth of an important political party in Nigeria what is your advice for the youth in Nigeria that are engaging in those activities?
A: Well, I will shock you that I have not come across any Labour Party youth that is into yahoo yahoo. So, I don’t know what you are insinuating and I don’t know the people you are describing as yahoo ,yahoo. The only thing I know about yahoo is about email address and I have an email but I don’t know who is yahoo person. Labour Party youths are not yahoo yahoo person. They are hardworking Nigerians, maybe wheelbarrow pusher, maybe bus drivers maybe bus conductors, maybe civil servants, maybe actors, celebrities hardworking musicians; those are the kind of people that in the Labour Party. So if what you are referring to as yahoo yahoo is bad, I will advise the people to go to the right way and be good citizens of Nigeria.
Q: Thank so much next year February is another FCT Area Council election and Labour Party candidates are participating in the election. What are the chances of your party or your candidate in that election?
A: Yes of course, I will be happy to see my party win election. Of course, that is the wish of every political party and our prayers, our hopes are to always find love and support of Nigerians in this FCT race and to support Labour party in the area Councils. So, I look forward to our party winning the February elections in FCT.
Q: They said there is a disengagement between national party and FCT chapter . That they are not supporting the party’s candidates. Is that true?
A; Now who is not supporting who?
Q: I mean there is no connection.
A: Who said, people are saying. You should ask party members if there is a disengagement between national party and the FCT. There is no such thing. Yesterday I was in this office with the state chairman of the party and today again I deal with some councillorship candidates and some candidates of the party in FCT who are in the party.
Q: As a leader of youth under Labour Party in Nigeria, can you say that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is in that right direction?
A: I am a national leader under a national party; I am not in the position of assessing the administration of Mr. President as party. If I say anything, it will be seen that this is what Labour party said, I am not a leader of this party and not in a position to speak for the party. The party has channel of communication as there is national publicity secretary of the party who communicate the position of the party on national issue. Also the position of the party can be made known through the national secretary or the national chairman of the party. I am in the operational wing of the party.
Q: 2027 general election are coming and many people are moving from one party to another party maybe because of their self-intention or other things, how prepared is Labour party to win the coming general election?
A: You know, how prepared for a political party is not what you can quantify by mere look, it is not what you can describe in words. Notice of general election have not been heard and INEC have not released the guidelines of the general election, and the nomination have not started but as political party I assure you that we are doing our best to make sure that the party is in good shape together in preparation of 2027 election. But as of now, I cannot tell you that this is the diagram of the party for 2027 because everything in Nigeria have guidelines. Now that we started discussing 2027, our interest is to see some policies that will better the lives of Nigerians manifest , see the national assembly function properly and see national assembly servicing the Nigeria citizens and see how governance is being run, which is in preparation of 2027 course. When INEC give notice, that will inform our strategical plans, but for now we are still looking at what the government is doing and we are still looking at managing the party giving the party good leadership, recruiting members to the party. Like you said, people are moving from party to party, that is typical of Nigeria politics, it does not start now, Nigeria have not been able to institutionalise democracy. People jump from one political party to another, it has been an issue in Nigeria, I don’t know what is causing it, it is not even about ruling party because most elections you still have ruling party win elections. I don’t think it is the ruling party maybe they don’t trust their capacity to win elections. There are a lot of people in the government today that won election under opposition. As a political party we will continue to strengthen the system of the party, increase the membership of the party in preparation for 2027 election.
When INEC releases the guidelines we now begin to talk about primary but for now let us concentrate and look at the things that government is doing.
Q: Since last election 2023 members of the Labour Party in the National Assembly are decreasing and not increasing that means people are leaving, what do you think is the cause and is there any solution to stop them?
A: I just told you that it is a life-long problem in Nigeria, political ideology has been lacking, people that win elections most times are winning to strengthen political parties. It is not only the Labour party members that are decreasing, there are other political partis members decreasing. For example YPP, ADP, NNPP, the almighty PDP within two month have lost three governors. That is massive, a governor is more than ten house of Reps member, so one governor leaving means that ten house of Reps and three senators has left the party, so it is not just the Labour Party. Of course for Labour party, most of them will go to court to defend themselves that the party does not give them security of winning in the next election because that is what Nigeria politics has become.
In 2027 there will still be people in Labour Party that will run election, some of them will still win. We still have some House of Reps members. Yes some people have left, you can only take the house to the people you can’t force them, if they use our party to win elections we have decided to give them the party manifesto and ideology to work with in national assembly it is left for them to abide with that condition.
we should concentrate on making institutions of governance work for Nigeria people. I am not member of APC but if the airport is working well I am using it, if the road from here to Lagos or to Onitsha is working well, it is not only the member of APC that will use it, citizens of Nigeria will use it, so let not approach governance as one people united in a country. If ten of us are running for president, that means ten of us have interest of Nigeria and one of us win, what is wrong in saying “my brother I want to be president, bring your idea let’s look at it.
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