The former National Treasurer of the Labour Party, Oluchi Oparah, has applauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for drawing the line against illegality and impunity by excluding Mr. Julius Abure from official engagements, saying the electoral body has “placed him exactly where he belongs.”
Reacting to INEC’s decision to leave Abure out of the groundbreaking ceremony for its new national headquarters and the high-level Political Parties Consultative Meeting held on June 26, Oparah described the move as a “bold, long-overdue rescue operation for democracy within the Labour Party.”
“In every sense of the word, Mr. Abure has been placed where he belongs — outside the leadership structure of the Labour Party, because that is what the law demands,” she said, firing back at what she called Abure’s “era of arrogance and constitutional vandalism.”
According to her, the Supreme Court’s ruling that nullified earlier lower court decisions in Abure’s favor had already exposed the hollow legality of his continued stay in office. INEC’s refusal to attend the June 28 sham primaries held by the Abure faction was the final nail in the coffin of his crumbling claim to power.
“INEC has done what many thought impossible — it has refused to rubber-stamp impunity,” Oparah declared. “This is not just commendable; it is historic. It sends a message to political actors across Nigeria: no one is above the law — not even the loudest man in the room.”
She likened Abure’s defiance to a sit-tight syndrome that has no place in a party built on justice, equity, and fairness. “What Abure did was hijack the party and treat it like a family business. That era is over.”
Oparah also praised INEC for restoring sanity to the political space and reinforcing public confidence in democratic institutions.
“When an electoral body says ‘enough is enough’ to a leader who’s overstayed his welcome, it rekindles the faith of Nigerians in democracy. It tells the world that our institutions are not asleep,” she said.
She called on Labour Party members and Nigerians at large to rally behind constitutional order and reject any individual trying to manipulate systems for personal gain.
“The Abure chapter is closing, and it’s closing fast. It’s time to rebuild, not recycle failure,” she added.
As the dust settles, many see INEC’s action as a watershed moment — not just for the Labour Party, but for internal democracy across the country. And as far as Oluchi Oparah is concerned, Julius Abure has finally been placed where the law, and the people, have long wanted him to be: out.
