The Labour Party has said that there was nothing strange in Alao Akala clinching its governorship ticket in Oyo State.
In a statement by its National Secretary, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, the party said:   "It is just a matter of water eventually finding its level. The issues must be put in correct perspective. It is not enough to limit ourselves to mere tooth picking analysis or fixated social media opinion."

Ajulo, however, argued that the LP decided to opt for Alao-Akala due to his achievements while he was governor of Oyo State.
He said: "When we take the case of Akala, for instance, it will be recalled that during his tenure as governor of Oyo State, he carried along the workers in the various unions, including the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, teachers, market women, civil societies, etc. While other governors in states controlled by supposedly progressive and pro-people parties placed embargo on employment and were not ready to implement the minimum wage, Akala employed more workers and did not denigrate the position of the working class.
"Equally important is the fact that Akala did not just get the Labour Party ticket in Oyo State on a platter of gold or for the asking. It was not also a matter of giving the ticket to the highest bidder. Akala worked his way rigorously and painstakingly up the ladder. He was endorsed by all those who matter in the party after a thorough check on his renewed commitment to the cause of the common man. He, indeed, had the support of other aspirants who acknowledged his worth and surrendered everything to him."

Ajulo added that the leadership of the party is currently "inundated with requests by politicians from the so-called large parties, who have either been betrayed or shortchanged and are seeking a credible platform on which to blossom and achieve their objective of truly transforming the polity. Some of our leaders have left their usual abode in order to avoid the deluge of politicians. They are coming in slews, seeking succour from injustice, seeking refuge from backstabbing, and seeking hope in a political future free from money mongering and selfish greed. This is an acknowledgement that the Labour Party is the last hope of the people."
"Ordinarily, Labour Party should be the ruling party or the main party, as we have in the United Kingdom, and not just one of the opposition. In Nigeria, most aspiring politicians often find themselves in the parties they consider as the ones with prospect to win in their own locality. Ideally, principles and programmes of a party, its manifesto, should determine its membership.  But in Nigeria a lot of primordial considerations come to the fore. Only very few parties indeed have clear-cut ideology. Labour is one of such parties founded on principle," he added.