Hon. Ogene, a ranking member from the 7th Assembly, was on Sunday, May 7, 2023, declared winner of the keenly contested Labour Party House of Representatives Caucus leader election with 21 votes.
…says Labour Party has not endorsed any Speakership aspirant
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The 35 Members-elect of Labour Party in the House of Representatives have elected Hon. Afam Victor Ogene as its Leader in the 10th Assembly.
Hon. Ogene, a ranking member from the 7th Assembly, was on Sunday, May 7, 2023, declared winner of the keenly contested Labour Party House of Representatives Caucus leader election with 21 votes.
Although 34 Members-Elect of the Party were present at the voting session, only 31 of them took part in the exercise, with the trio of Honourables Oke-Joe Onuakalusi, Obi Aguocha and Professor Lilian Oby Irogbu abstaining, being persons who conducted the exercise.
Speaking after the exercise, which was conducted under a convivial atmosphere, the duo of Honourables George Ozodinobi and Dennis Agbo, who contested the position, lauded the choice of Hon. Ogene.
Describing Hon. Ogene as a team player who is vast in the politics of the House of Representatives, Hon. Agbo opined that “with Hon. Ogene as our Caucus Leader, Labour Party is sure to hold its own in the 10th Assembly.”
In an acceptance speech soon after he was presented to the Party’s Leader and Presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, and the party’s National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, Hon. Ogene assured that in all undertakings of the Members-Elect, the well-being of the Nigerian people would be uppermost.
“May I use this opportunity to reiterate that the Labour Party caucus, House of Representatives, has not endorsed any Speakership aspirant.
“In fact, anyone desirous of our votes on the day of inauguration must first convince us, as a bloc, of what his plans and programmes for the Nigerian people are. While we may have individual preferences, I can assure that at the end of the day, the Labour Party shall stand as one, indivisible entity to take a common and progressive stand,” Hon. Ogene said.