The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Labour Party (LP) declared on Wednesday at its stakeholders’ interactive town hall meeting in Abuja that the elections that brought in Julius Abure as the party’s National Chairman did not follow due process.
The meeting had in attendance the party’s presidential flag bearer for the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, and the only state governor of the Labour party, Dr Alex Otti, as well as other stakeholders, came two days after Abure, the embattled factional national chairman of the party, threatened to sanction Otti and Obi for anti-party activities if they went ahead with the planned parallel NEC that was scheduled for Wednesday.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that Obi used the opportunity of the meeting to declare his continued loyalty to the party amid speculations that he might be leaving the Labour Party which availed him the platform to contest the 2023 presidential poll.
Faulting the convention that produced Abure as national chairman, the NEC, noted that it did not follow due process of conducting elections from the grassroots through to the national, and therefore was not legitimate.
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, who read excerpts from the certified true copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgement, announced that the court affirmed the leadership of Senator Nenadi Usman.
Governor Otti said that the Supreme Court had affirmed that the plaintiffs (Usman and others) were right in their appeal.
Admonishing politicians to respect the tenures of office as stipulated in their respective political party constitutions, the governor faulted Abure for insisting on staying on as the LP national chairman even when his tenure had expired, and the party members also did not want him again.
According to Otti, “I had a meeting with him (Abure) and asked him, what he wanted. He said he did not want anything; we offered him the Chairmanship of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT).
“He went ahead to stay when his tenure and those of the NWC (National Working Committee) had expired.
“The correct procedure, if you still want to be national chairman, is to start from the ward congress, state congress, zonal congress, where the delegates would emerge for the national convention and everyone member is free to contest”.
Also speaking, Obi posited that the court had done the right thing by vacating the judgement of the Appeal Court, insisting that the right thing be done.
“Our Governor has said it. Let’s do the right thing. Let’s go and do it from the ward to local government, to state, to zone, and then come and do it nationally. Everybody is free to contest. Nobody is excluded. I will ensure fairness.
“We want to build a party that will be fair, a party that will be just, a party that people can look at and say, this is how this party is.
“We want to go into the next election knowing full well that we are offering Nigeria the best of people and competent people for House of Assembly, House of Reps, Senate, or for Governor, for any level of election.”
On the widespread speculation that he was leaving the party, Obi said he had not discussed with anybody about leaving the Labour Party, adding that the party must stand as one united family and act in love.
The former Anambra State Governor stated that he had not entered any discussions with any individual or group regarding his departure from the Labour Party and that any decisions about the party’s future would be made in consultation with its stakeholders.
“I have not told anybody that I am leaving the Labour Party,” Obi insisted
Senator Nenadi Usman, on her part, said that the judgement of the Supreme Court showed that the interest of the people remained uppermost.
She said that despite the ruling in their favour, she would rather have Abure and others on the other side of the party on reconciliation mode in the interest of the party.
The stakeholders resolved to go immediately from the town hall meetings to INEC to present to the election umpire the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement by the Supreme Court.
They insisted that INEC must do the right thing by not recognising Abure as the party’s national chairman.