By Abiola Olawale
The crisis rocking the Labour Party has continued to take different dimensions as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that Julius Abure is no longer the National Chairman of the party.
The electoral body disclosed that it no longer recognises the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Abure.
According to INEC, Abure’s continued claim as the National Chairman of the Labour Party is “illegal and unconstitutional.”
This was made known in a counter-affidavit filed by the INEC. The electoral body, in response to a lawsuit by the Labour Party, which challenged its exclusion from the commission’s refresher training for uploading party agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections, said Abure’s tenure, along with that of the party’s national working committee, expired in June 2024.
INEC argued that the party’s leadership, including Abure, is invalid and that the March 2024 National Convention that re-elected Abure as chairman violated both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.
INEC stated: “It only deals with parties that have legitimate leadership in place.”
The electoral body, through its legal team led by Tanko Inuwa, SAN, also stated that the Labour Party’s suit sought declaratory reliefs that could not be granted based on admissions alone, asserting that the party needed to prove its case.
Due to the failure of the Labour Party to meet legal requirements for holding its national convention, INEC argued, the party no longer has valid leadership.
The commission urged the court to dismiss the Labour Party’s suit, maintaining, “The Labour Party is not entitled to the reliefs it is seeking.”
This comes after the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Governor Alex Otti of Abia State officially communicated with the national chairman of the INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu regarding what they called the organization of a fresh national convention aimed at electing a new chairman for the party.
Obi and Otti, in the letter, had informed Yakubu of the constitution of a 29-member caretaker committee saddled with the responsibility of organising state congresses and a national convention for the Labour Party.
In the letter, Obi and Otti explained that the decision to constitute the caretaker committee was taken following the leadership crisis rocking the party.
