A former governorship aspirant of the Labour Party (LP) in Edo State, Kenneth Imansuangbon, has resigned his membership of the party.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Mr Imansuangbon’s resignation was addressed to the LP National Chairperson, Julius Abure, and the chairperson of his Ward in Ewohimi on Wednesday in Benin.
Mr Imansuangbon lost in the LP governorship primary to the former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata.
The LP finished third in the Edo 2024 governorship election.
Mr Imansuangbon cited lack of internal democracy and the leadership crisis in the LP as his reasons for leaving the party.
Nicknamed the “Rice man” for his annual free rice distribution across Edo, Mr Imansuangbon was previously a member of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.
Mr Imansuangbon stated that the party had deviated from its core values and principles, rendering it incapable of offering Nigerians a credible and purposeful political alternative.
He accused the leadership of running the party like a “commercial entity,” failing to embody the ethos of its Mama, Papa, Pikin slogan, which was meant to inspire grassroots trust.
As an educationist and philanthropist, he emphasised his contributions of over 25 years in empowering leaders and the needy, stressing the need to distance himself from the party’s confusion.
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He accused the LP of imposing candidates and disregarding rules, creating frustration among committed members.
“After consulting with my teeming supporters statewide, I found it necessary for me and my followers to step away from the Labour Party,” he said.
He criticised the party’s failure to learn lessons or build purposeful leadership, highlighting toxic intra-party squabbles and power struggles that weakened members’ commitment.
Mr Imansuangbon also decried autocratic decision-making, and the exodus of notable founding members from the party.
(NAN)
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