Crisis rocks Labour Party in Anambra

The Anambra State Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr. Sam Oraegbunam, was on Sunday suspended by the State Executive Committee of the party. At a meeting, which took place in front of the party’s secretariat at Udoka Housing Estate, Awka, and convened by the state Secretary of the party, Mr. Tony Oraekie, the SEC accused of Oraegbunam of failing to call SEC meeting since November last year when the governorship election was held. They also accused him of failing to render an account of the monies he collected to fund the party’s campaigns and activities during the election, and the monies collected from local government and councillorship candidates that contested the January 11 elections. The SEC, therefore, suspended him through a motion moved by the state Deputy Chairman, Mr. Sam Okoye, and seconded by the state Legal Adviser, Mr. Festus Afuberu. A five-man disciplinary committee was immediately set up to investigate the charges against Oraegbunam and submit its report to the SEC within one week. Oraegbunam, however, dismissed the action of the SEC members as illegal and invalid. He said they had no powers to convene SEC meeting, let alone carry out the actions they had taken. He said most of those who attended the meeting were suspended from the SEC, and were yet to be received back into SEC after the National Executive Committee of the party recalled them from suspension.[PUNCH]