The Labour Party has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is punishing the party for defending its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, in the 2023 elections.

In a statement by the publicity secretary of the group, Obiora Ifoh, the party’s leadership claimed that INEC is supporting Obi and Otti’s attempt to seize control of the party through undemocratic means.

The crisis began when Obi and Otti convened a stakeholders meeting in Umuahia, where they appointed a 29-member caretaker committee to replace the current leadership. The party disputes the legitimacy of this move.

INEC filed a counter affidavit stating that the current executives’ tenure has expired, citing Electoral Act guidelines. However, the Labour Party maintains that their national convention in Nnewi on March 26, 2024, was valid and conducted in line with the Electoral Act and party constitution.
A statement by the Publicity secretary of the embattled Abure leaderahip said,

“We are shocked by INEC’s sudden interest in our internal affairs,” said a Labour Party spokesperson. “This is a clear case of interference and an attempt to destabilize our party.”

Recall that the contetious issue has to do with tenure of the National Working Committee (NWC), which expired on June 8, 2024. Since then, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has deemed the leadership under the embattled Julius Abure to be illegal.
Stakeholders were shocked when Abure was asked to leave an INEC meeting, and the party was not invited to a subsequent meeting in preparation for the septembet and November elections in Edo and Ondo states respectively
This is the fallout from a controversial party convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, earlier where Abure allegedly manipulated the process to ensure his return. INEC refused to recognize the outcome of that convention.
Even the party’s only governor, Alex Otti, and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, declined to attend the convention, having advised Abure to consult more widely beforehand. In an attempt to legitimize the convention, Abure and his group, after the disputed event in March 2023, endorsed Obi and Otti as the sole candidates for their respective offices in the next elections, despite their absence from the event.

Miffed by the impending crisis, Obi, in collaboration with Governor Otti, convened a stakeholders’ meeting to make necessary leadership changes. The Labour Party stakeholders gathered in Umuahia on September 4th and resolved to appoint Senator Esther Nenadi Usman as the Chairman of a Caretaker Committee.

The immediate past Senate Minority Deputy Leader, Senator Darlington Nwokocha from Abia Central, was appointed as the Secretary of the committee. The new leadership was tasked with rescuing the party from its current leadership crisis.
However, the Abure faction has since discredited the stakeholders meeting as it is not a k own nomenclature in the Party’s constitution

The statement reads,

“We the leadership of the Labour Party wish to bring to your notice the recent development in the party, particularly, the efforts by some of the leaders of the party including the former presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi and the Abia state governor, Dr. Alex Otti amongst others to annex power of the leadership of the party through subterranean means using the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as their launching pad.

“In the last few days, the media has been awashed with INEC’s counter affidavit to the effect that the tenure of the current executives has expired which was supposed to be a justification for the inglorious, purported Umuahia stakeholders meeting where a caretaker committee was produced.

“You will recall that His Excellencies, Peter Obi and Alex Otti a few weeks ago convened an illegal stakeholders meeting in Umuahia where they handpicked some of their cronies, a 29-member caretaker committee in the most undemocratic fashion as leaders of their faction of the party. “They subsequently wrote a letter to the INEC on September 6, 2024, informing the commission of the purported and non existent leadership crisis in the party.

“They hinged their decision on the fact that INEC informed them that the present National Working Committee of the party no longer have a valid tenure after June, 2024 and because INEC also did not monitor the Nnewi Convention of the party held on the 26th March, 2024, the commission has ceased from transacting business with the party.

“As you are aware, the party has since sued INEC challenging its exclusion from the commission’s refresher training for uploading party agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
“However, INEC had in a counter-affidavit, filed in response to our suit argued that the Labour Party’s leadership, including Julius Abure, is now invalid, stressing that it does not recognise the party’s March 2024 National Convention, which re-elected Abure as chairman.

“The leadership of the Labour Party is however miffed by the actions of our leaders including our former presidential candidate Peter Obi and the only Labour Party governor, Dr. Alex Otti who should be defending the party at this auspicious and trying moment.
“They ought to know that Labour Party is going through this challenging times simply because of its role in defending both leaders during the 2023 general election.

“For the benefit of hindsight, not a few Nigerians will forget how Labour Party reduced its guards in accommodating some of these leaders when they were denied tickets in their former political parties.
“Many of these men who are holding several political offices but suddenly turned warriors today, seeking the head of Julius Abure to be served on a platter, where rolling on the floors, begging for ticket. Some couldn’t even afford to pay for the nomination forms.

“Labour Party leadership went to the trenches with our Presidential Candidate, cascading through the nooks and crannies of Nigeria canvassing for votes.
“We went through the entire judicial hurdles, dared the principalities and powers. We were haunted, maligned and in some cases chased around by agents of the state because of our unflinching commitment and uncompromised standing with our Presidential candidate.
“The same LP leadership stood by our then governorship candidate in Abia through thick and thin, snubbing all sorts of pressures, weathering the political and judicial storms to ensure that victory was achieved. Today, these leaders are now dancing ‘Gwo gwo gwo ngwo’ with us. What a shame, what a betrayal.

“Every Nigerian alive today knows the ignoble role INEC played in the 2023 general election and how the electoral will of the people were dashed. It amazes us that those who suffered from this INEC’s ineptitude in 2023, are now joining forces with the Commission against the Party leadership.
“For these leaders, there is no qualms to leverage on the INEC’s standpoint of illegality to attempt to seize the leadership of the party.

“We sincerely want to advise these our leaders that INEC is and can never be the model on which to launch their annexation agenda. The 2023 saga is still fresh. In one breath, we demonised INEC, in another second, you are fraternizing with them.
“Is it not paradoxical that some of these leaders who were victims of INEC’s dereliction and mismanagement of the 2023 general election are now the ones quoting INEC, and joining forces with it, just to victimize the leadership of the Labour Party.
“Is it not seemingly absurd that the INEC you are embracing today and welcoming with open arms is the same INEC, which betrayed us during the last election. I ask, where was this loyalty when INEC failed to protect the will of the people in 2023? Let us not be fooled, my friends. INEC has not changed, and come 2027, they will once again serve you the portage with the same dish.

“In as much as we are not saying that Abure or his executive members must remain in office ad-infinitum, however we would like to make it abundantly clear that this current National Working Committee is a product of a valid convention.
“It will take another convention in 2028 to enthrone a new executive. It is even surprising that some of the dramatis-personae who played key role in the success of the convention are now the ones leading the vanguard to exterminate the product of the convention.

“We want to put it on record that the Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice J.K Omotosho had declared that the national convention of the party held in Nnewi on the March 26, 2024 is valid and one conducted in line with the requirement of both the 2022 Electoral Act and Labour Party Constitution.
“The Supreme Court in several judgements had also ruled that Issues regarding delegates at a National Convention or how the convention is planned and executed by a political party are outside the jurisdiction of any Court of the land being internal affairs of the – such a Party.
“Therefore, not even INEC can deregister Labour Party as being peddled by some of our leaders. INEC as an institution is bound to respect the laws of the land as clearly stated in Sections 82(1), 82(3) and 82(5) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and Articles 7, 13(1), 13(1) (b) (ii), 13(1) (b) (viii) and 13 (1) (ix) of the party constitution and cannot afford to act irrational even if it wants to. ”