The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Labour Party (LP) has said that the elections that brought in Mr Julius Abure as the party’s National Chairman did not follow due process.
The Labour party NEC disclosed this at stakeholders interactive town hall meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
The meeting had in attendance the party’s presidential flag bearer for the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi and the only governor of the party, Dr Alex Otti of Abia State, in attendance.
The meeting which included Labour Party stakeholders was converged two days after a factional national chairman of the party, Abure, threatened to sanction Otti and Obi for anti-party activities and the planned parallel NEC that was scheduled for Wednesday.
According to them, the convention that brought Abure in did not follow due process of conducting elections from the grassroots through to the national and therefore was not legitimate.
Abia Governor, Dr Alex Otti, who read excerpts from the document of the judgement by the Supreme Court, announced that the court affirmed the leadership of Sen. Nenadi Usman.
Otti said that the Supreme Court has affirmed that the plaintiff (Usman and others) were right in their appeal.
The governor admonished politicians to respect the tenures of office as stipulated in their respective political party constitutions.
He also faulted Abure for insisting on staying as the LP national chairman, even when his tenure had expired and the party members also did not want him again.
“I had a meeting with him (Abure) and asked him, what he wanted, he said he did not want anything; we offered him the Chairmanship of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT).
“He went ahead to stay when his tenure and those of the NWC (National Working Committee) had expired.
“The correct procedure if you still want to be national chairman is to start from the ward congress, state congress, zonal congress, where the delegates would emerge for the national convention and everyone member is free to contest,” Otti said.
Also speaking, Mr Peter Obi, the former presidential flag bearer of the party, said the court had done the right thing by vacating the judgement of the Appeal court insisting that the right thing be done.
“Our Governor has said it. Let’s do the right thing. Let’s go and do it from the ward to local government, to state, to zone, and then come and do it nationally. Everybody is free to contest.
“Everybody is free to contest. Nobody is excluded. I will ensure fairness.
“We want to build a party that will be fair, a party that will be just, a party that people can look at and say, this is how this party is.
“We want to go into the next election knowing fully well that we are offering Nigeria the best of people and competent people for House of Assembly, House of Rep, Senate, or for Governor, for any level of election.”
Obi stressed that contrary to speculations, he had not discussed with anybody about leaving the Labour Party, adding that the party must stand as one united family and act in love.
The former Anambra State Governor stated that he had not entered into any discussions with any individual or group regarding his departure from the Labour Party and that any decisions about the party’s future would be made in consultation with its stakeholders.
“I have not told anybody that I am leaving the Labour Party,” Obi said.
Senator Nenadi Usman, on her part, said that the judgement of the Supreme Court showed that the interest of the people remained uppermost.
She said that in spite of the ruling in their favour, she would rather have Abure and others at the other side of the party on reconciliation mode in the interest of the party.
The stakeholders resolved to go immediately from the town hall meeting to INEC to present to them the Certified True Copy (CTC) judgement by the Supreme Court.
They insisted that INEC must do the right thing by not recognising Abure as the party’s national chairman.
