LP Crisis: Otti Wants Abure-led Executive Sacked, Seeks NEC Meeting for August End

•Calls for dissolution of all executives, from ward to national level, for peace’s sake  

•Abure insists there’s no vacancy in NWC

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has asked the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) of Labour Party (LP) to prepare for a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on August 31.

Otti also told Abure that all party executives, from ward, local government, and state, to the national, should be dissolved for a new leadership.

The move followed the non-invitation of LP to the third quarterly meeting between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the political parties.

At two of the meetings with INEC, Abure was asked to leave the gathering, and during last week’s quarterly meeting with political parties, the electoral umpire did not invite LP.

It was in view of the above that the only governor of the party charged the Abure-led NWC to call a NEC meeting to discuss the leadership crisis in LP.

But Abure fired back, saying there is no leadership crisis in the party. He said the national executive of the party was properly and constitutional elected at the March 29 national convention in Nnewi, Anambra State.

Reading from a communique of the NWC on August 26, the LP national chairman said the meeting was called at his instance to brief NWC members on his recent meeting with Otti.

He disclosed that the governor stated his intention to convene a NEC meeting on August 31 in order to dissolve the National Executive Committee, state executives, local government executives, and ward executives on the grounds that their tenures had expired.

Abure stated, “The National Working Committee (NWC) consequently notes as follows: The national leadership hereby states unequivocally that there is no vacuum in the leadership of our party and conscious of the fact that the tenure of the executives was to last till June 2024.

“The national convention of the party was held in March 27, 2024 at Nnewi, Anambra State, at which the governor of Abia State was ably represented by his deputy, who also doubled as the chairman of the convention committee.

“It must be noted that most of the government functionaries from Abia State, including the deputy governor, commissioners, Chief of Staff, and indeed all the Labour Party State Assembly members, led by the Speaker of the House, Senior Special Assistants and other aides of the governor, were present at that convention.

“It must be stressed that the laws of the land, which include the following: the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, the Labour Party Constitution, and indeed, all other laws of the land were adhered to in convening that convention.”

The communique also read, “Article 14 of the Labour Party Constitution provides that it is only the national chairman and the national secretary of the party who can convene the meetings of the National Working Committee, National Executive Committee and National Convention or any other national meeting of the party.

“In the exercise of that power, therefore, on the 20th of December, 2023, the national chairman and the national secretary of the party issued notices to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the convening of the national convention of the party that was scheduled to hold in March 2024.

“It must be noted that Section 82(1) of 2022 Electoral Act provides as follows: Every registered political party shall give the commission at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, conference or meeting convened for the purpose of ‘merger’ and electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified under this Act.

“It was in fulfilment of this provision that the national chairman and the national secretary of the party issued notice to INEC on the 4th of December 2023. When it became apparent for logistics reasons that the convention would be held at the earlier venue, another notice for change of venue was issued to INEC on the 14th of March, 2024.

“Again, another notice for a change of venue was issued on the 20th and 21st of March 2024. It is, therefore, clear that the party has fulfilled its obligation under the Electoral Act and the constitution of the party.”

Abure added, “It is safe to conclude that Labour Party under this leadership has complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act, constitution of Nigeria and the Labour Party constitution in convening the national convention of the party that was held at Nnewi, Anambra State, on the 27th of March, 2024.

“Therefore, for any person(s), group or agency to speculate that the tenures of the current executives have expired, it is not only mischievous but a deliberate attempt to put the party in comatose.”