Labour Party rejects Utomi’s appointment of Charles Odibo as campaign spokesman

The Labour Party (LP) has rejected the appointment of Charles Odibo as spokesperson for its presidential campaign.

Pat Utomi, leader of the National Consultative Front (NCF), at a media briefing on Thursday, announced Odibo as leader of the communication team for the LP campaign.

However, in a statement issued on Saturday by Arabambi Abayomi, national publicity secretary of the party, the LP said the NCF has no constitutional power to make appointments for the party.

He said only Julius Abure, the party’s national chairman, can make such appointment.

“Our attention has been drawn to the news intercepted through multiple news medium that one Mr Charles Odibo has been appointed as the spokesman of Labour Party by Prof. Pat Utomi,” the statement reads.

“It is not undisputed that LP has not made such appointment since Utomi, who is the leader of NCF, cannot usurp the function of the National Chairman.

“For the records, Utomi who is the leader of the NCF, a strong affiliate of the LP, while in a Zoom meeting, introduced Charles Odibo as the media head of the ‘Big Tent’, an acronym for the NCF and no mention of LP was made on that platform.

“All appointments by the LP are made through the office of the national chairman and announcement made by the national publicity secretary under the directive of the national chairman.”

Abayomi added that according to article 14 subsection 1(a) of the party’s constitution, the national chairman reserves the right to make appointments.