By Stephen Effiong
UYO – The Labour Party LP in Akwa Ibom has shut down reports of a split in its governorship race, insisting Michael Bush remains its sole candidate for 2027.
In a press release signed by State Publicity Secretary Comrade Ime Silas on June 5, 2026, the party dismissed a Daily Post Nigeria report claiming it was “grappling with two guber candidates.”
“There were no two cleared Labour Party governorship aspirants in Akwa Ibom State,” the party stated. “The said Emmanuel Friday Ben could not survive the screening at the National Screening Committee which sat at the Abuja Headquarters.”
LP also clarified its leadership structure, saying Mr. Lincoln Charles “is not the State Chairman” as he was under suspension during the April 2026 congresses. The recognized chairman, according to the party, is “Mrs. Freena Akpanusong” with the state office at #40 Akwa Efak, off Udoudoma Avenue, Uyo.
The party defended its primary held on May 30, 2026, supervised by INEC and conducted by Dr. Kingsley Okundaye’s National Electoral Committee. It noted the same National Chairman, Sen. Nenadi Usman, Ph.D, who screened Mr. Ben also set up the committee that ran the Akwa Ibom primaries.
“For the record,” Silas said, “the duly elected Labour Party Gubernatorial candidate for the 2027 governorship election in Akwa Ibom State is Akparawa Michael Bush. He is the one Akwa Ibom people will vote for, being the only baggage-free, credible and INDEPENDENT ALTERNATIVE who shall deliver the state from the current shackles of mis-governance and leadership deficit.”
The party urged Akwa Ibom residents to “discard the Daily Post Nigeria’s misleading report” and said the National Executive Committee will formally announce all legitimate candidates after its June 11, 2026 meeting.
