Senator Neda Imasuen, representing Edo South in the Senate, has attributed recent defections from the Labour Party (LP) to a leadership crisis within the party.
He specifically pointed to the leadership style of the national chairman, Julius Abure, which, according to Imasuen, is also negatively impacting the party’s activities in Edo State.
In an interview with journalists, Imasuen expressed his full support for the Senate’s decision to investigate the issues raised by rights activist, Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor, concerning the revocation of ownership of a property belonging to her late husband, Col. Paul Ogbebor (rtd), in Abuja.
He stated, “All politics are local. I am a member of the Labour Party, but the party is embroiled in one crisis after another. If elections were held today, I personally would have no platform to run because of the ongoing situation in the party, even in Edo State. As I speak, we have two chairmen: I recognize Ogbaloi (Kelly) as the chairman, while Abure’s faction, which is recognized nationally, I do not acknowledge. I am the highest Labour Party elected official in the entire South-South region, and no one has informed me about any of the party’s decisions, nor why they are being made.”
Imasuen further explained the breakdown in his relationship with Abure, stating, “Abure doesn’t talk to me, and I don’t talk to him. We don’t communicate. This problem started during the nomination period when we were selecting a candidate for the party. Abure insisted on his candidate because of their background, while I felt that the best candidate should win regardless of where they were from. Our differences on that matter have persisted since.”
Regarding the land issue, Imasuen expressed his dissatisfaction with the handling of the matter by the late Col. Ogbebor’s family.
He revealed that he was never contacted about the revocation, whether by letter, phone, or SMS, and was shocked to learn about it through the media, even though his office had not received any formal petition regarding the alleged revocation of the property.
Imasuen stressed that the correct way to address such issues would have been through a formal petition to his office, but he only became aware of it via the media, which he described as inappropriate.
He also noted that the National Assembly had intervened to ensure that no action is taken on the property until a full investigation is completed by lawmakers.
He concluded, “The Senate has resolved that no action should be taken by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) on the property until the matter is fully investigated. I am very satisfied with this progress. For those claiming that I’ve been silent on this issue, they are simply unaware of how the Senate works.”
