‘Labour Party has not endorsed any presidential candidate’

THE Labour Party (LP) yesterday said it had neither endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan nor Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

   The National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abdulkadir Salau, who spoke to reporters in Abuja, remarked that the issue of who among the presidential candidates will get the endorsement of Labour Party for the February 14 poll is yet to be settled.

   He explained that the recent parley between his predecessor, Chief Dan Iwuanyanwu and President Jonathan at the presidential villa should not be misconstrued as an endorsement for President Jonathan.

   He said: “What happened was that the former chairman went to Villa and he was ascribed the national chairman position, which is very wrong. A convention has been held and another chairman emerged more than three months ago, Labour Party is yet to take a position on who to support in the presidential election. As for me, I am not aware that the party has endorsed anyone for the 2015 presidential race, so we have to clear the air.”

   Stating that LP will not go into alliance with any political party, he said the party’s message to Nigerians is for everyone to work for a free, fair, credible and non-violent general elections next month. 

   He described as unfortunate the unfolding scenario of character assassination and mud-slinging being employed by politicians in the on-going election campaigns.

   Speaking on the wave of abuses and name-calling that has characterised the initial stages of the election campaigns, Salau said that it smacks of uncivilised behaviour and a negation of what campaigning should be.

   “It is very uncivilised behaviour. People die by God’s decree and nothing more than that. So it is unfortunate that the campaigns have reached the extent of people attacking instead of them to be speaking on the programme of their party and what Nigerians should expect from them if elected into office. We reject it and condemn it.”