As Labour Party Awaits INEC’s Decision 

With the letter written by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi and the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission of the setting up of a 29-member caretaker committee by the party’s expanded stakeholders, and the refusal of the sacked Julius Abure-led National Working Committee to vacate office, Ejiofor Alike reports that all eyes are on the electoral body to recognise the authentic leadership of the party

That the sacked National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Julius Abure, has survived many legal and political battles since after the 2023 general election is not in doubt.

Shortly after the elections, the Deputy National Chairman (South), of the party, Mr. Lamidi Apapa had in April 2023 declared himself as the party’s Acting National Chairman, following an order by a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court restraining Abure from parading himself as the LP’s national chairman.

Though Apapa claimed he enjoyed the support of the party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi’s followers, better known as “Obidients,” the party’s chairmen in the 36 states threw their weight behind the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

With the support of all the critical stakeholders in the party, Abure survived all the litigations and corruption-related allegations targeted to get him out of office.

However, before Apapa’s camp collapsed its structure in June 2024, Abure’s leadership had run into troubled waters when it lost the confidence of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). 

One of such unpopular decisions Abure took was the holding of the party’s National Convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, on March 27, 2024 where he was said to have won a re-election for a fresh tenure without the support of the labour union and other critical stakeholders, who shunned the convention.

His predicament was worsened by a letter from INEC saying that it did not monitor the party’s Nnewi’s convention.

INEC pulled the rug from under his feet when it denied monitoring the Nnewi convention.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Steve Adehi, representing one of the LP camps, had written to the electoral umpire requesting for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the commission’s report on the convention and also a copy of the Labour Party’s constitution.

But in its response, the acting National Secretary of INEC, Harilu Aminu, in a letter dated July 18, 2024, told Adehi that: “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’s Constitution. The Certified True Copy of the Labour Party’s 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,” the letter added.

INEC’s response had set the alarm bells ringing as it was feared that the letter was a clear indication that the electoral body did not recognise the outcome of the convention.

The commission’s response, by implication, was a de-recognition of the Abure-led NWC by the commission.

But in a swift response, the National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, argued that INEC’s letter never said explicitly that the commission had rejected the outcome of the convention, adding that the inability of the commission to monitor the convention did not in any way invalidate it.

Citing Article 82 (2) of the Electoral Act, which states: “The commission may, with or without prior notice to the political party attend and observe any convention, congress, conference or meeting, which is convened by a political party for the purpose of (a) electing members of its executive committees or other governing bodies,” Ifoh further insisted that it was not mandatory that INEC must be present during the internal party exercise.

Ifoh maintained that the LP had duly informed the commission of its decision to hold the convention in accordance with the provision of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates political parties to officially inform the INEC at least three weeks of its intention to conduct the national convention.

However, having lost the confidence of most of the critical stakeholders of the party, Abure was advised by some leaders and elders of the party to perish his inordinate desires and allow peace to reign supreme in the party to no avail.

It was in view of INEC’s claim that the duo of Obi and the Governor of Abia State, Mr. Alex Otti had summoned an expanded stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia, Abia State, on September 4, 2024, where Abure-led NWC was sacked and a 29-member caretaker committee set up to organise the party’s congresses and national convention within 180 days.

Abure had earlier warned Otti to face governance and stop meddling in the party’s administration.

Conveying the outcome of the Umuahia meeting to INEC, Obi and Otti, in a letter addressed to the chairman of commission and dated September 6, 2024, notified the electoral body of the setting up of a 29-member caretaker committee by the party’s expanded stakeholders.

The letter, dated September 6, 2024, also noted the Labour Party’s leadership crisis in recent times “culminating in the de-recognition of the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) by INEC effective June 2024. This is sequel to the settlement brokered by INEC on June 27, 2022.”

According to the letter, the settlement was founded on the consent court judgement by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, whose implementation was deferred for one year because of the 2023 general election.

The letter stated that settlement states that the party shall organise an all-inclusive convention after organising ward, local government and state congresses not later than one year after signing the terms of settlement.

The letter, however, noted that the Abure-led NWC organised a convention at Nnewi in March 2024 without first organising ward, local government and state congresses, stressing that this fell short of the standards and the spirit of the terms of settlement.

 It said the development created a leadership vacuum in the party.

But the sacked Abure-led NWC kicked against the outcome of the stakeholders’ meeting, describing it as null and void.

Reacting in a statement issued after the meeting, the sacked National Publicity Secretary of LP, Ifoh, stressed that Otti and others have “no power within the party’s constitution, the Electoral Act and even within the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to convene any meeting of the party.”

Ifoh also claimed that the chairman of the 29-member caretaker committee, Mrs. Nenadi Usman is not a registered member of the party, adding that she surfaced during the Obi’s presidential campaign to assist Obi in his campaign.

With the request by Obi and Otti seeking INEC’s recognition of the party’s caretaker committee, and Abure’s claim to the party’s national chairmanship, all eyes are on INEC to recognise the party’s authentic leadership, a decision that may also fuel litigation.