In the wake of the palace coup by some stakeholders of the Labour Party, which saw the appointment of a National Caretaker Committee chaired by former Finance Minister, Mrs. Esther Nenadi Usman to replace the party’s National Working Committee led by Julius Abure, the stage is set for a messy fight for the soul of the party.
On Wednesday, during an Expanded Stakeholders Meeting of the Labour Party at the Banquet Hall of the Abia State government house in Umuahia, many stakeholders of the Party approved the constitution of a 29-member Caretaker Committee to oversee the affairs of the Labour Party.
Those at the stakeholders meeting contended that the tenure of the Julius Abure-led national working committee of the Labour Party elapsed months ago and that the party did not have a validly elected national leadership.
The Umuahia stakeholders meeting was well attended by political office holders elected on the platform of the Labour Party including the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, Senator Victor Umeh, some House of Representatives members as well as many state legislators. The party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi was also in attendance alongside his running mate, Yusuf Datti.
There were notable absentees however, such as Senator Tony Nwoye representing Anambra North in the Senate as well as Senator Ireti Kingigbe representing the FCT. Some LP HoR members were also absent from the Umuahia stakeholders meeting.
ABURE DECLARES UMUAHIA STAKEHOLDERS MEETING ILLEGAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Prior to the Umuahia stakeholders meeting, the Labour Party, released a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, saying that Governor Alex Otti and Mr. Peter Obi lack the constitutional power to call for a NEC meeting of the Labour Party.
In the statement, the party accused the duo of Mr. Peter Obi and Dr. Alex Otti of impersonating the Labour Party national Chairman, Julius Abure and the National Secretary Alh Farouk Umar Ibrahim by signing the notice of the LP NEC meeting as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary respectively.
“The attention of leadership of Labour Party National Working Committee under the National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure and National Secretary Alh Farouk Umar Ibrahim has been drawn to a purported unconstitutional, illegal clandestine Labour Party extended stakeholders /National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of Labour Party convened and signed by Mr Peter Obi as National Chairman and Governor Alex Oti as National Secretary”, the statement reads.
“Labour Party is therefore calling on the Inspector General of Police to launch a massive investigation against the duo of Mr Peter Obi and Gov Alex Oti for their unconstitutional involvement in the impersonation of the office of Labour party National Chairman and National Secretary, despite their long political standings and education.”
The National Publicity Secretary added that the Labour Party constitution clearly bestows the powers to issue notice of meetings of the National Convention, National Executive Council, the National working Committee on the national secretary in consultation with and approval of the National Chairman. He noted that Mr. Peter Obi is not the national chairman of the Labour Party neither is Alex Otti the national secretary of the party.
Despite the resistance of the Abure-led NWC to the Umuahia stakeholders meeting, the meeting went ahead and produced a parallel leadership of the Labour Party. In a swift reaction however, Julius Abure through Mr. Obiora Ifoh, the National Publicity Secretary of Labour disowned the outcome of the stakeholders meeting summoned by the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti describing the meeting as illegal and unconstitutional.
Iroh noted that Expanded Stakeholders Meeting Is not an organ known to the constitution of the Labour Party and cited Articles 11 and 12 of the Labour Party’s constitution to back its claims. It therefore described the so-called meeting in Umuahia as “a charade, a waste of time and resources of Abia people”.
On the premise on which Governor Alex Otti called the Umuahia stakeholders meeting, Iroh said it is not only faulty but mischievous.
“As we speak, there is no communication whatsoever from INEC to the party as regards any objection to the conduct of the National Convention. We challenge Alex Otti to produce the official letter addressed to him from INEC on the subject matter”, Iroh said.
“There is no vacuum in the leadership of the party. Consequently, the so-called Caretaker Committee set up by the Governor of Abia State is not known to the constitution of the party and can best be described as a department in Abia State Government House”, the statement added.
STAGE SET FOR INTENSE LEGAL BATTLES
With the unfolding scenario, the stage has been set for an intense legal battles as the various factions seek control of the party’s leadership. Abure, a lawyer by profession, is adamant that there is no basis to assume that the Labour Party had no leadership to warrant the setting up of National Caretaker Committee by an illegal body unknown to the party’s constitution.
It is unclear what would be the strategy of Dr. Alex Otti and Mr. Peter Obi going forward and it remains to be seen if INEC would accord recognition to the Esther Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee set up by Gov. Otti and Mr. Peter Obi.