The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Labour Party (LP) has said that the elections that brought in Mr Julius Abure as the party’s National Chairman did not follow due process.
The Labour Party NEC disclosed this at the stakeholders’ interactive town hall meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
The meeting had in attendance the party’s presidential flag bearer for the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi and the only state governor of the Labour party, Dr Alex Otti, in attendance.
The meeting which included Labour Party stakeholders was converged two days after a factional national chairman of the party, Mr Abure, threatened to sanction Otti and Obi for anti-party activities and the planned parallel NEC that was scheduled for Wednesday.
According to them, the convention that brought Abure in did not follow due process of conducting elections from the grassroots through to the national and therefore was not legitimate.
Abia Governor, Dr Alex Otti, who read excerpts from the document of the judgement by the supreme court announced that the court affirmed the leadership of Sen. Nenadi Usman.
Otti said that the Supreme Court has affirmed that the plaintiffs (Usman and others) were right in their appeal.
The governor admonished politicians to respect the tenures of office as stipulated in their respective political party constitutions.
He also faulted Abure for insisting on staying as the LP national chairman, even when his tenure had expired and the party members also did not want him again.
“I had a meeting with him (Abure) and asked him, what he wanted, he said he did not want anything; we offered him the Chairmanship of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT).
He went ahead to stay when his tenure and those of the NWC (National Working Committee) had expired.
“The correct procedure if you still want to be national chairman is to start from the ward congress, state congress, zonal congress, where the delegates would emerge for the national convention and everyone member is free to contest,” Otti said.
Also speaking, Mr Peter Obi, the former presidential flag bearer of the party, said the court had done the right thing by vacating the judgement of the Appeal court insisting that the right thing be done.
“Our Governor has said it. Let’s do the right thing. Let’s go and do it from the ward to local government, to state, to zone, and then come and do it nationally. Everybody is free to contest.
“Everybody is free to contest. Nobody is excluded. I will ensure fairness.
“The correct procedure if you still want to be national chairman is to start from the ward congress, state congress, zonal congress, where the delegates would emerge for the national convention and everyone member is free to contest,” Otti said.
Also speaking, Mr Peter Obi, the former presidential flag bearer of the party, said the court had done the right thing by vacating the judgement of the Appeal court insisting that the right thing be done.
“Our Governor has said it. Let’s do the right thing. Let’s go and do it from the ward to local government, to state, to zone, and then come and do it nationally. Everybody is free to contest.
“Everybody is free to contest. Nobody is excluded. I will ensure fairness.
“The correct procedure if you still want to be national chairman is to start from the ward congress, state congress, zonal congress, where the delegates would emerge for the national convention and everyone member is free to contest,” Otti said.
Also speaking, Mr Peter Obi, the former presidential flag bearer of the party, said the court had done the right thing by vacating the judgement of the Appeal court insisting that the right thing be done.
“Our Governor has said it. Let’s do the right thing. Let’s go and do it from the ward to local government, to state, to zone, and then come and do it nationally. Everybody is free to contest.
“Everybody is free to contest. Nobody is excluded. I will ensure fairness.
-Vanguard
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