- Abure Sets Up Disciplinary Committee To Deal With Members Who Disobeys Him
- Your Tenure Has Ended, Convening NWC Meeting Illegal, Factional Leader, Okafor Roars
- INEC Mischievous For Saying Tenure Of National Executives Has Expired- Abure
The crisis currently rocking the Labour Party (LP) is showing no signs of slowing down any moment soon.
This is as the factional National Chairmen of the party, Julius Abure and
Callistus Okafor on Tuesday August 27, 2024 resumed their verbal war.
The Matrix reports that the opposition party who stunned many with a strong performance in the 2023 general election has been embroiled in an internal crisis since the conclusion of the 2023 election.
While the party is battling issues with the Nigeria Labour Congress the owner of the party on one hand, several key members of the party have exited the party.
The latest high profile exit was that of Kenneth Okonkwo,the spokesperson of The Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Council.
On the resumption of the hostility between the factional leaders of the party on Tuesday, Okafor had berated Abure for holding a national working committee (NWC) meeting.
The Matrix recalls that Abure presided over a NWC meeting on Tuesday and a communique was issued after.
In the communique, Abure said Alex Otti, governor of Abia, called for an emergency national executive committee (NEC) meeting to dissolve the highest organ of the party, state executive council, local government executive council and ward executive council on grounds that the tenures of the executives had expired.
He said there was no vacuum of leadership in the party at all levels.
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“Article 14 of the Labour Party Constitution provides that it is only the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the Party who can convene the meetings of the National Working Committee, National Executive Committee and National Convention or any other national meeting of the Party,” he said.
In addition, Abure set up a seven-member disciplinary standing committee to enforce the provisions of the party’s constitution.
“All party members are under obligation to respect the integrity and dignity of the party and its leadership,” Abure said.
“The national leadership will not hesitate to discipline any member who is not ready to obey the constitution of the party and obey directives.”
Members of the committee include Kehinde Edun, Clement Ojukwu, Ayo Olorunfemi, Dudu Manuga, Callistus Ihejiagwa, Raji Mohammed, and Umar Ibrahim.
In the communiqué, the leadership of LP also flayed a statement credited to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the tenure of the national executives of the party has expired is “mischievous”.
“The NWC noted that the national convention of the party held on the 27th of March, 2024, has been validated by a court of competent jurisdiction on the 16th day of June, 2024, when it held that issues of leadership, conduct of congresses, and convention are internal affairs of a political party,” the communiqué reads.
“The judge determined issues of notices, how the convention was held, and delegates, amongst others, were determined by the court, which upheld the national convention of the party.
“For anybody to say that there was a vacuum in the leadership of the party is not only mischievous but a deliberate attempt to cause panic and chaos and to disrupt the smooth working of our party.
“The NWC in session notes that section 83(1)(2) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides also that the Commission shall keep records of the activities of all registered political parties.
“The commission may seek information or clarification from any registered political party in connection with any activities of the political party which may be contrary to the provisions of the constitution or any other law, guideline, rules, or regulations made pursuant to an Act of the national assembly.’
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“Therefore, for any person or agency to begin to instigate members of the party from the back door that the tenures of the executives have expired is tantamount to being unprofessional and mischievous.
“We must also state that government business is not conducted verbally. It is done in official communication through writing and correspondence. So, we must await any communication by INEC.”
However, in a counter statement, Okafor said the NWC meeting presided by Abure was illegal because his tenure expired on June 9, 2024.
“INEC is said to have rejected the leadership of Julius Abure following the recent crisis in the party,” he said.
“The tenure of Julius Abure expired on June 9, 2024.”
The factional LP chair called for the implementation of a consent judgment.
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In 2018, Gabriel Kolawole, an Abuja federal high court judge handling the dispute, delivered a consent judgment that compelled all parties to convene an “inclusive” national convention.
The verdict followed a leadership tussle between late Abdulkadir Salam, a former chairman of LP, and a group led by Salisu Mohammed, who had declared himself the national caretaker chair of the party.
Okafor, who has argued that he is a “beneficiary” of the judgment, was deputy chair (south) to Salam at the time.
