In response to criticism from supporters, the Labour Party has pledged to reassess the makeup of its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).
The party announced this just 24 hours after revealing the 1,234-member Obi-Datti campaign team, whose makeup has angered many Nigerians.
Most of the criticisms were directed at the addition of a former Army spokesperson, Major General John Enenche (retd.), into the Presidential Advisory Council of its PCC.
Enenche, a former Director of Defence Information, had caught an infamous figure following his claim that no killings occurred during the October 20, 2020 #EndSARS protest at Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos.
The ex-General alleged that the scene depicting #EndSARS protesters being shot at by Nigerian Army personnel and streamed in real time on DJ Switch’s Instagram account was actually manipulated.
On Wednesday, October 12, 2022, shortly after the list was made public, the video of his assertions reappeared on Twitter.
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party, faced criticism for allegedly marginalising other ethnic groups in favour of the South-East in addition to the dispute surrounding the inclusion of Enenche.
The nomination of individuals of Igbo descent as state coordinators for Lagos and Sokoto States is the most notable example of this.
Farooq Kperogi, a professor and social commentator residing in the United States, also joined in the censure, claiming that the Labour Party has failed to set itself apart from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Kperogi said “The inclusion of Enenche on Obi’s campaign list is significant because the core of Obi’s youthful supporters who’re engaged because they’re enraged are drawn from #EndSARS agitators for whom the cover-up of the massacre of protesters in Lekki is a sore point.
“To put a denier of the mass massacre of their comrades in the campaign council of a candidate they support and campaign for is both insensitive and disrespectful.
“And why does a campaign that is fuelled by a desire for difference need nearly 1,300 people to sit in a council? That’s unwieldy. How is it different from the APC and PDP? In fact, APC and PDP are better. APC’s initial list was just 422 and PDP’s was 520.”
However, reacting to the development, the chief spokesperson for the LP Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, told The PUNCH on Thursday that the party was aware of the concerns raised and would make necessary adjustments.
Speaking on the choice of Igbo as state coordinators for Lagos and Sokoto, Yunusa said many people complaining about the list never showed interest.
Yunusa said “The truth is: how many of them showed interest in all what we are doing? Is it not now they are trying to show interest?
“Many of them did not show interest. But the truth is that we are happy now that they are showing interest, they are giving us consultancy and we will take corrections. Let them bring all the names, we will accommodate them.
“All of the issues that have been raised, we will take care of it. We are a listening party and we will do the right thing.
“Every observation is being taken care of and as a listening party that is ready to take over power, it is just like presenting ourselves for scrutiny to the public, and the public who (is) driving us has spoken, so we will deal with the matter internally and accordingly.”
