The Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in Lagos State, Olukayode Ezekiel Salako, has denied insinuation that he is a mole for the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu within the LP fold.
There were also reports at the weekend suggesting that the LP stalwart had defected to the APC. But Mr Salako while debunking both allegations said he remains committed to the ideal of the Labour Party.
“A few days ago, I was in Abuja to attend a two-day national leaders/stakeholders retreat of my party, the Labour Party. Just this last week, to be precise.
“I came back on Friday, 16 September to preside over the meeting of the State Working Committee (SWC) of my party in the state.
“We were in the meeting for almost seven hours. We couldn’t finish treating all the issues on the agenda on that day after 8 pm. We, therefore, extended the meeting to Saturday.
“I still presided over that on Saturday for about five hours. On Sunday, I went to attend the meeting of the elders/leaders advisory council of the party, which I approved for its running since I became the chairman of the party in the state.
“On Monday, 19 September 2022, which is this morning, I will be in a meeting with the Lagos State Commissioner of Police on his invitation. After the meeting, I will be accompanying HE. Peter Gregory Obi to a programme he is having around Lekki here in Lagos.
“But, the news of my defection to APC has been flying around since the same Friday morning from social media propagandists, enemies of the outstanding progress I am achieving for my party in the state right now.
“How would I have defected, and still be running the Labour Party system in the state? That is not true, and can never be true.
“Olukayode Salako is a flowing river. When I am operating in a place, I operate committedly and with all sincerity of purpose there, and don’t ever look back.
On being a mole within the LP, the former APC member said nothing can be farther from the truth.
“God has made me a king in the Lagos Labour party system already, as the chairman of the party. What then would I still be looking for in a place where I voluntarily left out of my own volition?!
“What else would I still be looking for in a Tinubu political system for 22 years, where I operated without finding fulfilment? He queried.