LABOUR PARTY: FLYING ON BORROWED WINGS

Apagun 

A story was once told of a prideful, deceptive and a subtle tortoise who after loosing out in an animal kingdom decided to compete and complete the kingship rites and rituals in the birds kingdom. Some members of his family questioned his affinity with the birds kingdom and the possibilities of ceding out the kingship to him since he cannot fly. His wife and children reminded him that flying across seven rivers in their known world is part of the ceremonial rites. The tortoise assured his family that he had already settled the kingmakers, and telling his wife that he was called to come for the contest by the eagle because he was denied the right to become the king. Ostrich was equally in support because she couldn't fly across the seven rivers, she decided to give out feathers to support the tortoise together with some dissidents birds for him to complete the kingship rites. Despite the fact that the priests and diviners warned these rebellious birds to allow the Peacock chosen by divinity to become the king, they obstinately stood against the warning by the gods that the rats would not squeak like rats, the birds would not chirp like birds and humans will not speak like humans 

On the day of the completion of the rituals, a sacrifice must be carried by the king to be, so the tortoise begged eagle to carry him on her wings with the sacrifice at dawn to the sacred forest to place the sacrifice in front of the gods. On his way back on the wings of the eagle, sighting the town at a distance and the flocks of birds awaiting his arrival in the village square, he thanked the eagle for her support but begged her to let him be on his own as he had already glued the borrowed wings to his arm and legs to proof that he can fly. Eagle warned him against the decision, but before you can say Jack, he jumped from the eagle's back and cracked in pieces in the midst of the awaiting townsmen.

Politics in Ogun State has always been competitive. But right now, the Labour Party in the state is dealing with a distraction that threatens to drown out real work: a parallel faction built not by grassroots structure, but by a group of transactional politicians looking for shortcuts to relevance through the stroke of pen.

The trouble started when some individuals, who played little or no role in building the party from ward to state level, decided to announce a separate "exco." It was not done through congress. It was not recognized by the national constitution of the Labour Party but by some individuals at the national against the will of the people of Ogun State. It was simply declared, with memo and borrowed logos.

That is the problem. You cannot build legitimacy by photocopying it.

*The constitutional exco*  

The state executive Committee led by *Apagun Olaolu Samuel* emerged through the process laid out in the party constitution. The state congress produced officers with mandates from members on the ground. That is how political parties are supposed to function. Not by WhatsApp declarations, not by borrowing halls for parallel meetings.

This exco has been carrying out the basic work: reconciling members while the supposedly national leaders were outrightly kicking against such without first coming to beg for permission on performing our rights and obligations as Chairman, preparing for elections, and engaging communities on Labour Party ideals. It is not perfect. No new structure is. But it has the one thing the other group does not: a paper trail rooted in the party’s own rules and constitution 

*Why the parallel group exists*  

The second group is not an ideological split. It is a transactional arrangement. In Nigerian politics, we have seen this pattern before. When an election cycle approaches, some actors who could not win internal elections try to create a second center of power. The goal is not to grow the party. The goal is to negotiate. To get recognition. To sell access. To fly on wings that do not belong to them.

Borrowed wings cannot sustain flight. They look good in photos, but they have no roots in the wards, no structure in the LGAs, and no accountability to the members who knocked on doors in 2023. 

*The cost to Ogun Labour Party*  

1. *Confusion*: New members do not know which leadership to approach. That slows down mobilization.

2. *Resources wasted*: Time and money that should go into voter education and candidate grooming are spent fighting for letterheads.

3. *Credibility damaged*: Voters are watching. When a party cannot manage its own house, it becomes hard to ask the public to trust it with the state.

An oral history in the Ifa verses stated _" . . . lo difa fún Ológbò jigolo baba awo, nigba to nṣawo ròde Oyo, won ni eyin agba, é má j'obi to gbo, eyin agba, é má fẹ aya meji ni rogbarogba"_ literally meaning 'as Ologbo Jigolo was divinely instructed in those days, warning that the elders must not be attracted by the matured cola nuts, neither should they be engaged to two wives simultaneously. The instructions are simple, the elders should not take bribe neither should they double date.

*The way forward*  

Parties grow through discipline, not drama. The national leadership of the Labour Party must do three things quickly:

- *Affirm the constitutional exco*: Put it in writing. Circulate it to INEC, to stakeholders, and to the public in Ogun State. Ambiguity is what transactional politicians thrive on.

- *Sanction impersonation*: Anyone parading as an officer outside the constitutional process should be shown the door. Politics cannot reward forgery.

- *Open the door for real reconciliation*: Not for power-sharing with a parallel group, but for members who were genuinely aggrieved during congresses to be heard within the structure led by Apagun Olaolu Samuel.

Ogun Labour Party has a real opportunity. The appetite for alternatives is there. Young voters, artisans, teachers, and traders are looking for a party that speaks to competence and accountability. They will not wait while a few individuals argue over borrowed titles.

You do not build a movement by creating two heads. You build it by strengthening the one head that the constitution recognizes, and then making it work.

Borrowed wings might get you a few meters off the ground. But to fly in 2027, Ogun Labour Party needs its own wings. And right now, those wings are with the legally and constitutionally emerged state exco led by Apagun Olaolu Samuel.

© *Apagun Olaolu Samuel*

Chairman, 

Labour Party Ogun State

egberunsaamu2206@gmail.com

OGUN STATE LABOUR PARTY: RE: REBUTTAL OF THE ILLEGITIMATE STATEMENT BY ALHAJI IBRAHIM ONABIYI – SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT ON MY STATUS AND THE ILLEGALITY OF THEIR PARALLEL STRUCTURE

 PRESS STATEMENT BY THE OGUN STATE PUBLICITY SECRETARY OF THE LABOUR PARTY

(APAGUN OLAOLU SAMUEL BABATUNDE-LED STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE)

Date: July 17, 2026

RE: REBUTTAL OF THE ILLEGITIMATE STATEMENT BY ALHAJI IBRAHIM ONABIYI – SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT ON MY STATUS AND THE ILLEGALITY OF THEIR PARALLEL STRUCTURE

Kika

Our attention has been drawn to the desperate and misleading press statement issued on July 16, 2026, by one Alhaji Ibrahim Onabiyi, who parades himself as Labour Party Chairman of Ogun State through a purely illegal and unconstitutional process. In that statement, they made several false claims, including the allegation that I, Hon. Kika Glasgow, am a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NDC) and therefore cannot serve as the Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party.

We categorically state that while I did resign from the Labour Party at a point and joined the NDC, I have since withdrawn my resignation, returned to the Labour Party, and have been fully reinstated as the duly elected Publicity Secretary of the Apagun Olaolu Samuel Babatunde-led Ogun State Executive Committee. I am no longer a member of the NDC – I am a bona fide, card-carrying member of the Labour Party. The opponents are clutching at a past event that has been rectified, in a vain attempt to distract from their own constitutional violations.

This statement serves to:

1. Set the records straight on my current status.

2. Expose the illegality of the so-called "harmonisation" that produced the Onabiyi faction.

3. Reiterate the supremacy of the Labour Party Constitution and the rule of law.

FACTS OF THE MATTER – MY STATUS CLARIFIED

1. I was duly elected as State Publicity Secretary at the authentic State Congress of the Labour Party in Ogun State held on April 25, 2026, where Apagun Olaolu Samuel Babatunde emerged as the valid State Chairman.

2. I later submitted a resignation letter and joined the NDC for personal reasons.

3. However, I withdrew that resignation and officially returned to the Labour Party. Following due process, I was reinstated as the State Publicity Secretary of the Apagun Olaolu Samuel Babatunde-led Executive Committee.

4. As of today, I am not a member of the NDC. I am a loyal and active member of the Labour Party, holding a validly elected position.

5. The allegation that I am currently a member of another party is false – it is a distortion of a past event that has been fully resolved.

The opponents  are resorting to cheap blackmail and fabrication to undermine our legitimate leadership.

THE SO-CALLED "HARMONISATION" – A KANGAROO EXERCISE

Mrs. Oriola Nike Job, the National Deputy Chairman (South), convened what she deceitfully called a "harmonisation meeting" only after she realised that Apagun Olaolu Samuel Babatunde had won the state congress fair and square.

This so-called harmonisation:

· Was never a congress – it was a mere gathering of a few handpicked individuals.

· Had no constitutional basis – the Labour Party Constitution does not recognise "harmonisation" as a substitute for a properly conducted State Congress.

· Was not advertised to all party members.

· Was not monitored by INEC.

· Produced a parallel executive that has no mandate from the Ogun State party members.

The truth is simple: Mrs. Oriola Nike Job did not like the outcome of the democratic process, so she decided to impose her preferred candidate, Alhaji Ibrahim Onabiyi, through the backdoor. This is a flagrant abuse of office and a direct assault on internal democracy.

THE LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL POSITION – WHY THEIR STRUCTURE IS NULL AND VOID

1. Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) mandates that political parties shall conduct periodic elections for their executive committees on a democratic basis. The "harmonisation" exercise was not democratic – it was an imposition.

2. The Labour Party Constitution vests the authority to organise State Congresses in the duly elected State Executive Committees. No National Officer, including the National Deputy Chairman (South), has the power to bypass the State Executive and impose a parallel structure.

3. INEC's own portal still recognises Apagun Olaolu Samuel Babatunde as the State Chairman of the Labour Party in Ogun State. This is incontrovertible evidence that the Commission acknowledges our legitimacy and rejects the illegal parallel structure.

4. Judicial precedents – In the recent ADC case, the Court of Appeal affirmed that state congresses conducted in violation of party constitution and court orders are invalid, and that the responsibility for organising congresses rests with State Executives, not national leadership. The court also barred INEC from recognising such illegal congresses. Similarly, the Supreme Court in the PDP Ibadan Convention case nullified a convention held in violation of a court order, holding that such actions amount to making a mockery of the judiciary.

By all legal standards, the Onabiyi-led parallel structure is a nullity.

REBUTTAL OF SPECIFIC FALSE CLAIMS

False Claim Truth

"Glasgow Kika is a member of NDC and cannot be Publicity Secretary." I resigned and joined NDC temporarily, but I withdrew my resignation, returned to LP, and was reinstated. I am not currently a member of NDC.

"The harmonisation produced a legitimate State Executive." The harmonisation was an illegal imposition, not a congress. It violated the Party Constitution and INEC guidelines.

"Apagun Olaolu has no authority to suspend officials." That is correct – but we are not the ones suspending anyone. They are the ones who have no authority to even exist as an executive.

"INEC should disregard Apagun Olaolu." INEC's portal still recognises Apagun Olaolu as Chairman – the Commission knows the truth.

OUR DEMANDS AND WARNING

TO THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP OF THE LABOUR PARTY AND MRS. ORIOLA NIKE JOB:

We demand that you:

1. Immediately withdraw recognition from the illegal Onabiyi parallel structure.

2. Publicly affirm Apagun Olaolu Samuel Babatunde as the authentic State Chairman of Ogun State.

3. Cease all interference in the affairs of the Ogun State chapter.

4. Direct INEC to release the access code to our legitimate State Executive to upload our candidates.

We put you on NOTICE that if these demands are not met within 7 days, we shall proceed to court.

TO ALHAJI IBRAHIM ONABIYI AND HIS COHORTS:

Your illegal occupation of party structures and your baseless allegations against me will not stand. You are merely trying to divert attention from your own constitutional violations.

We have reported your criminal impersonation and trespass to law enforcement agencies.

TO THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC):

We call on you to:

1. Uphold the Electoral Act and your own guidelines – do not recognise any candidate from the illegal parallel primaries.

2. Immediately release the access code to Apagun Olaolu Samuel Babatunde, the recognised State Chairman on your portal.

3. Note that your refusal to release the code is creating an unnecessary crisis and may expose you to litigation.

We are prepared to go to court.

CONCLUSION

The Labour Party belongs to its members, not to any individual. The will of the Ogun State party members, as expressed in the April 25, 2026 State Congress, must be respected.

Apagun Olaolu Samuel Babatunde is the valid State Chairman.

I, Hon. Kika Glasgow, am the valid State Publicity Secretary – currently and lawfully a member of the Labour Party.

The Onabiyi parallel structure is a nullity and should be disregarded by all.

We call on all party members, the media, and the general public to see through the desperate smokescreen of our opponents. The rule of law and internal democracy must prevail.

Signed:

Hon. Kika Glasgow

State Publicity Secretary,

Apagun Olaolu Samuel Babatunde-led Ogun State Executive Committee,

Labour Party

Date: July 17, 2026

Cc:

1. The National Chairman, Labour Party

2. The National Secretary, Labour Party

3. The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

4. The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ogun State

5. The Nigeria Police Force

6. The Department of State Services (DSS)

7. All Media Houses

Russian Official: Ballistic Attack on Kyiv During Von der Leyen’s Visit Was Warning to EU to “Stop Prolonging the War"

 Ursula von der Leyen

Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv causing fires. Atleast 2 people were killed and several injured.

This happened while EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was visiting Kyiv to discuss stronger defense cooperation and EU support for Ukraine.

Russian officials and media described the strikes as a warning against EU visits and actions that they say prolong the war.

Who is Behind Kwara Terrorism: one killed, one kidnapped, several injured as terrorists ransacked Ifelodun LGA

Nigeria government has consistently demonstrated that the country is a terrorists conquered region where live is summarily nasty, brutish, cheap and short. 

The capacity to secure lives and properties of the citizens are not lacking but that the Pro-terrorists are in charge of the country's affairs must be an undisputable reason behind security sabotage as citizens face pains of insecurity in the hands of non state actors dishing out brutalities without measure in different parts of the country.

They Nigeria's government of APC both at the national and Kwara State need to tell Nigerians, the invincible hands sustaining terrorism in the state and nationwide.

Terrorists on Wednesday night invaded Wande community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, killing one person, abducting another resident and injuring several others in the latest wave of attacks to hit communities in the state's southern axis.

The attack has further heightened fears among residents, who say bandit activities have continued to spread across Kwara South despite ongoing security operations.  Close to 200 are already in bandits captivity in the state.

According to Sahara Report, source familiar with the incident told confirmed that the terrorists stormed Wande community on Wednesday night, opening fire on residents and leaving behind casualties before fleeing with one abducted victim.

According to the source, one person was killed during the attack, another was kidnapped, while several residents sustained injuries.

Describing the ordeal, the source said he was physically assaulted by the attackers and suffered a serious head injury after being struck with the butt of a gun.

"They hit me on the head with the butt of their gun. Blood has been coming out from my head. The person they shot; we are taking him to the hospital in Igbaja. We are on our way," the source said.

Residents said the latest attack underscores the worsening security situation in Kwara South, where several rural communities have reportedly been deserted as people flee persistent attacks by armed groups.

"Kwara South has become a hotspot for bandits, while many communities have been deserted," the source added.

Meanwhile, a top security source told reporters on Thursday that the attackers were believed to be members of a terrorist group that had earlier been engaged by security operatives in Yaru town before escaping towards Wande.

According to the security source, security forces had mounted an operation against the terrorists on Wednesday morning in Yaru, forcing them to retreat in the direction of Wande community, where they later carried out the deadly attack.

"It was obvious because they pushed them yesterday morning at Yaru again. They ran towards that end," the security source said.

SaharaReporters previously reported that the Iru Ẹ̀kún Security Network, a security outfit linked to Yoruba nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, known as Sunday Igboho, has accused Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of preventing the group from visiting the state.

The security network alleged that the governor objected to the planned visit despite growing insecurity and persistent attacks by suspected armed herdsmen and terrorists in parts of Kwara South.

The allegation was contained in a voice note obtained by SaharaReporters through the State Administrator of the Iru Ẹ̀kún Security Network in Osun State, Mr. Bolarinwa Kazeem Ayobami.

In the audio message, Ayobami announced that the planned visit of the security outfit to Kwara State had been suspended following an objection from Governor AbdulRazaq.

The planned visit, according to him, was intended to meet members of the Iru Ẹ̀kún Security Network already operating in Kwara State. 

However, he said the leadership of the organisation decided to cancel the trip to avoid exposing members in the state to possible risks.

"In truth, if all of us were to go there, no one would be able to do anything to us. However, the people we intended to meet are members of the Iru Ẹ̀kún Security Network in Kwara State. We do not want the visit to create problems or put any individuals at risk," he said.

He further noted that the governor opposed the visit because "he's a Fulani man."

"We have now been informed that the Governor of Kwara State has refused permission because he's a Fulani man. Because of that, the trip has been suspended for now,” he said. 

"Therefore, the meeting that was scheduled to hold in Kwara tomorrow will no longer take place."

 

Iran Can Not Be Compelled By Force: Military pressure May Be Achieving The Opposite Of Washington’s objective

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf 

As strikes continue, Tehran insists it will not be the side to initiate negotiations with the United States. It's argued that escalating military pressure may be achieving the opposite of Washington’s objective.

“If the U.S. believes it can compel Iran to seek negotiations through greater military force and pressure, it is making a serious miscalculation.”

The Strait of Hormuz remains a key flashpoint, and what Iranian officials conveyed to Oman before the closure remains unknown.

US can not in anyway no dictate of the outcome of the escalations in the middle east.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its Navy and Aerospace Force carried out the eighth wave of Operation Nasr 2 in response to overnight attacks on Iran’s southern coast and cities, Tasnim reported.

The IRGC said the combined missile and drone operation struck and destroyed the C-RAM early-warning radar system at Ali Al-Salem base in Kuwait, and also hit a location where US troops were gathered.

The statement also slammed the US for using Kuwaiti territory to carry out aggression against Iran, warning that American aggression launched from regional bases will continue to face retaliation.

 Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says Tehran has never welcomed war, but it must always be ready to fight and stand until the end to safeguard its national security and interests

"We must also use the tools of diplomacy and negotiations to realize and secure our national interests", Ghalibaf says

 If Iran is not going to benefit from the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the US, it has no reason to adhere to it, he added. Negotiations at this stage are not equivalent to compromise, but, along with war, are part of the strategy of resistance and protection of our national interests."

" Separating and choosing either negotiations or war as the only solution is a strategic error", he added

Iran's Foreign Ministry directly rejects Trump's claim that Tehran called to make a deal, with spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stating: "We have no plans for negotiations at the moment and are focused on defense. This is a principle and the same path will be followed in the future."

He said the Islamic Republic would uphold its commitments under the memorandum of understanding as long as the other side did the same, warning that any breach would prompt reciprocal action.

“The other side has violated its commitments and broken its promises from the outset of the memorandum of understanding, and the Islamic Republic will respond proportionately both in the field and in implementing its commitments,” Baghaei said.

He added that Iran’s armed forces had repeatedly shown that any act it regarded as aggression would be met with a reciprocal response.

Also, Iran summoned the British ambassador in Tehran over the UK’s move to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps under the Countering State Threats Act, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported Wednesday.

Ukrainian Patriot factory plan meets battlefield reality

Patriot anti-aircraft missiles

A US license to produce Patriot anti-aircraft missiles would not help Kiev begin making them before the conflict ends, Defense Priorities analyst Jennifer Kavanagh told Sputnik.

She called the plan highly unrealistic, noting that any factory would be a priority target for Russian attacks, making it impossible to launch production.

US President Donald Trump had during the NATO submit in Turkey promised the Ukrainian leaders the license to produce the American defense system at home.

The Patriot anti-aircraft missiles have been of very little or no effect before the Russian air campaigns in it's special military operations.