The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) under Mr Julius Abure as the national chairman, kicked again on Thursday, accusing the Governor of Abia State, Mr Alex Otti, and the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Mr Peter Obi, of fuelling the “misinterpretation” of the recent Supreme Court judgment on the leadership crisis in the LP.
Abure, who heads the National Working Committee (NWC), which the Otti/Obi group says no longer exists by virtue of the apex court’s verdict, insisted on Thursday that the court never removed him.
He argued that there had been deliberate attempts to misinterpret the court’s judgment in a bid to keep the LP in perpetual crises.
Abure noted that if the court, by the judgment, directed that political parties should resolve their leadership issues using internal mechanisms, it meant that the LP had already done so by electing the current NWC on March 27, 2024, in line with the provisions of its constitution.
“The National Working Committee elected on the 27th of March 2024 by our party internal machinery as stated by the Supreme Court is in place, let no one live in fool’s paradise,” the Abure-led told a news conference in Abuja on Thursday.
The National Publicity Secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, presented the leadership’s position as contained in a document jointly signed by Abure and the National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk.
LP maintained that every step taken by the party till the March 27th, 2024 convention that produced Abure fell in line with the party’s constitution, hence the supreme court merely ‘’validated” the decisions of the party by its judgment.
It explained, “The holding of the National Convention on 27/03/2024 is the decision of the NEC which is responsible for the overall administration and organization of the party.
“The National Convention which was held on 27/03/2024 was generally peaceful and in line with the party’s 2019 Constitution, the Guidelines of the Party, and the Electoral Act 2022. The Convention was chaired by Governor Alex Otti ably represented by his deputy Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu.
“INEC has related with the leadership led by Barrister Julius Abure (National Chairman) and Alhaji Umaru Farouk Ibrahim (National Secretary) based on the new tenure created at the National Convention held on 27/03/2024.
“By a letter dated 28/06/24, INEC invited the Labour Party for inspection of sensitive Election materials for the Edo State and Ondo State Governorship 2024 Election, and Barrister Julius Abure honoured the invitation issued by INEC to inspect the sensitive Election Materials for the conduct of the Edo State and Ondo State Governorship 2024 Election at the National Headquarters of INEC by being present at the inspection of the said materials.
“Equally, INEC wrote the party under the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure as National Chairman in a letter dated 21/08/2024, with reference number: INEC/LD&C/PP/24/T/148.”
The Abure-led NWC noted that the setting up a National Caretaker Committee (NCC) headed by former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman, was unnecessary, urging Otti and Obi to revert to the “status quo ante” by joining Abure to build the
party, as against what it described as the deliberate misinterpretation of the judgment of the apex court.
It added, “Consequently, we admonish Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia State, and Peter Obi, former presidential Candidate of our party in 2023 General Election who are the protagonists of the current division in the party, to hear the Supreme Court loud and clear.”
However, the Otti/Obi faction relies on what it says remains the kernel of the court’s, which implies the end to the tenure of Abure’s NWC.
The portion reads, “The 3 issues submitted for determination are hereby jointly resolved in favour of the Appellants.
“In summary, both the trial court and the court below had no jurisdiction to entertain the suit of this 1st Respondent whose main relief, as they both rightly observed, was inserted as relief number five (5) as though it was an appendage.
“Consequent upon the foregoing, the decisions of both trial court and the court below recognizing Barrister Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the 1st Respondent are hereby set aside and suit No.FHC/ ABJ/CS/1271/2024 is hereby struck out for want of jurisdiction.
“In the same vein, the 1st Respondent’s cross-appeal in Appeal No.SC/CV /56A/2025 being an offshoot of the same judgment of the court below, is hereby dismissed.”
and then