Uneasy Calm in Labour Party over Stakeholders’ Meeting

Will the stakeholders’ meeting of the Labour Party convened by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi resolve the crises in the party or complicate them? Chuks Okocha asks

The stakeholders’ meeting of the Labour Party (LP) convened by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi and the only elected governor on the party’s platform, Alex Otti of Abia State, seems to be unsettling the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

Though the agenda of the meeting, slated for Wednesday, September 4, in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, according to a statement signed by Obi and Otti, was not stated, many believe that it is not unconnected with the leadership crisis rocking the party since its March 29 national convention that was boycotted by major stakeholders.

Since after the 2023 presidential election, the party under Abure has been enmeshed in crisis. While many of the crises border on corruption, others are associated with the various suits filed to remove him from office.

In the eyes of the public and others, the crises in the party, once seen as a rising force, have weakened it internally and diminished its standing among the electorate. It now appears directionless.

Recently, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) worsened the crises when they contested the leadership of the party with the Abure-led NWC.

Perhaps the climax was the dispute between the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The commission had claimed that it did not monitor the Nnewi convention of the party.

 Following the non-invitation of the party to its official assignments by INEC, Otti had asked the Abure-led party to summon a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) for August 31 to discuss the problems affecting the party. But the Abure leadership kicked against the idea, claiming that there was no need for such as the present executive committee headed by him was properly constituted.

Rather, he set up a disciplinary committee and threatened to discipline erring members. He also claimed that INEC, the regulatory body of political parties, had not written to reject the national convention of the party that took place on March 29.

Following a request by Steve Adehi (SAN), to INEC to obtain the true status of the Julius Abure-led party’s national convention, INEC had last month said it did not monitor the Nnewi convention of the party.

In response to Adehi’s letter, the acting National Secretary of INEC, Harilu Aminu, in a letter dated July 18, 2024 said, “The commission has received your request for Certified True Copy (CTC) of the monitored report of Labour Party Convention at Nnewi, Anambra State held on the 27 day of March 2024, and the Labour Party Constitution. The Certified True Copy of the Labour Party “Constitution has been forwarded to your firm earlier. Regrettably the commission did not monitor the Labour Party Convention of 27 March 2024 and cannot therefore report on the convention.”

It was in view of INEC’s claim that the duo of Obi and Otti summoned an expanded stakeholders’ meeting to resolve the lingering crisis in the party.

The circular convening the meeting partly reads, “Three representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, who are members of the National Executive Council of the party, three representatives of the Trade Union Congress, who are members of the National Executive Council of the Labour Party, vice presidential candidate of the 2023 election will be attending.

“Also invited are Abia State Deputy Governor, all serving and former senators, who are members of the party, all serving and former members of the House of Representatives, serving members of Houses of Assembly of states, five members of the Abure-led National Working Committee viz: National Chairman, Deputy National Chairman, Secretary, woman leader and youth leader, gubernatorial candidates of Edo and Ondo states.

 “The following former governorship candidates, representing the six geo-political zones, will attend: Ken Pela (Delta State – South-south), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (Lagos State – South-west), Chijioke Edeoga (Enugu State – South-east), Jonathan Asake (Kaduna State – North-west), Patrick Dakum (Plateau State – North-central), Keftin Amuga (Gombe State – North-east).”

Apparently responding to the scheduled meeting, Abure had last Tuesday urged Otti to stick to governance and stop meddling in the party affairs by summoning the NEC meeting. He said it was not the position of the governor to consider taking such a decision.

At a press conference held at the LP national secretariat in Abuja, the LP national chairman said his grievance was predicated on the outcome of a recent meeting he had with Otti where the Abia governor stated his intention to convene a NEC meeting on August 31 to dissolve the executives at the ward, local government, state and national levels on the purported 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.”

 “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 fulfillment 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.”

Despite Abure’s explanation, Obi and Otti are determined to proceed with the stakeholders’ meeting.

When contacted for a reaction to Obi and Otti’s insistence, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, said they were unaware of such a circular.

Ifoh said: “We are officially unaware of any meeting. I am just hearing that it has been changed from NEC to stakeholders’ meeting along with the new date from you.”

He, however, declined to comment on whether Abure and the NWC members would attend the scheduled meeting.

For now, members of the party are anxiously waiting for the outcome of the stakeholders’ meeting to see if it would resolve the crisis or worsen it.