By Jude Opara
The crisis rocking the Labour Party deepened on Monday as the Julius Abure led faction said the party will no longer preserve its presidential election ticket for its candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi.
In a communique issued at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC), the Abure faction also said that the governor of Abia state, Dr. Alex Otti will not be give any preferential treatment in the 2027 election.
It could be recalled that the governor of Abia state last week convened a meeting of stakeholders of the party in Umuahia where most of the elected members of the national and state assemblies including Mr. Peter Obi were in attendance.
The Abia meeting equally passed a vote of no confidence on the embattled Abure and announced a Caretaker Committee headed by former Minister of State for Finance, Mrs. Nenadi Usman.
But the Communique jointly signed by Abure and the National Secretary of his faction, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, they equally cautioned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to desist from encouraging the group who gathered in Umuahia to destroy the party.
“The NEC in session after reviewing the purported Stakeholders meeting held in Umuaiha Abia State condemned the conveners of the meetings and thereafter disassociate itself from the outcome of the so-called stakeholders meeting in Umuaiha Abia State where the National Working Committee, the National Executive Council, State Council, Local Government and Ward Executives of the party were purportedly++ dissolved and a so-called Caretaker Committee was set up.
“The NEC in session note that the Governor of Abia State His Excellency Alex Otti who convened the meeting do not have the power within the Party’s Constitution as provided in Article 14 (4) (B) gives power to call meetings only to the National Secretary with the approval of National Chairman”.
The Abure faction further stated that Governor Otti does not have the mandate of the party and its constitution to convene the convention of the Labour Party, saying that whatever they did at that gathering was illegal and of no consequence.
“NEC in session condemn in strong terms the conveners of the meeting in Abia State who dwelt in illegality and therefore all the outcome of the meeting amount to nullity and the party is hereby disassociating itself from the conveners and the outcome of the meeting.
“NEC in session note that there is no vacuum in the leadership of the Party. The Party has conducted its National Convention in line with the party Constitution, the Electoral Act and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 27th March, 2024 at Nnewi Anambra State which has been validated by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja”.
The communique also granted the National Working Committee (NWC) the powers to discipline any erring member of the party, no matter how highly placed.
