LP government candidate, others boycott Obi’s Yola rally

Umar Mustapha, the Labor Party’s gubernatorial candidate in Adamawa state, and his supporters boycotted the campaign rally of the party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi on Tuesday.

Obi, accompanied by his running mate, Datti Ahmed, Professor Pat Utomi and a handful of assistants, were received at Yola International Airport by a former Federation government secretary, Babachir Lawan.

Other than Lawan and the party’s state chairman Christopher Nicholas, no other prominent party leaders were at the airport to receive the LP presidential candidate.

In a statement detailing why he was boycotting the Obi rally, Mustapha accused the party’s leadership and the LP Presidential Campaign Council of sidelining him.

The statement signed by the director general of Mustapha Campaign Organization, Ibrahim Ghaji, also accused the People’s Democratic Party of hijacking the LP in the state.

Ghaji explained that after reviewing developments in the party, the governorship candidate and other candidates of the party agreed not to participate in any of the activities listed for Obi’s campaign visit to the state.

However, he said that all party supporters who choose to attend are free to attend and participate.

“Furthermore, we strongly condemn in no uncertain terms the clear hijacking of the Labor Party by the People’s Democratic Party in Adamawa State.

“This is quite unfortunate and we will fight it, by all lawful means at our disposal, until it is defeated,” the statement said.