Labour Party’s NEC backs Julius Abure, vows sanction for Peter Obi, Otti

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Labour Party (LP) has passed a vote of confidence on its National Working Committee (NWC).

The LP’s NWC is led by the party’s disputed National Chairperson, Julius Abure.

The party made the resolution at its NEC meeting held in Abuja on Monday.

The National Secretary, Ibrahim Umar-Farouk, read out a communique released at the end of the meeting.

Mr Umar-Farouk said the NEC expressed satisfaction with the Supreme Court decision which, it argued, had returned the power, glory and supremacy of political parties.

“The court asserted the supremacy of the party over its internal affairs and that leadership of a political party is not for any court to decide, as it is a no-go area for the court, and so the court did not sack the NWC leadership.

“Accordingly, NEC in session reaffirmed the Nnewi National Convention held on the 27th of March 2024 that produced the current National Working Committee (NWC) members, under the chairmanship of Barrister Julius Abure,” he said.

Anti-party activities

In the communique, the NEC accused Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, of committing various anti-party activities.

Giving instances of the alleged anti-party activities, Mr Umar-Farouk said Mr Otti had called for “an unauthorised stakeholders’ meeting and usurping the powers of NEC.”

Mr Otti was elected governor of Abia State under the LP platform in 2023.

The party also accused the governor of backing another political party in the last local government election in Abia State.

“The governor has also intensified his effort to factionalise the party leadership by calling an illegal NEC scheduled to hold on Wednesday.

“His anti-party activities are unbecoming of a highly respected personality and this is no longer acceptable,” the communique read.

Otti, Peter Obi, others may be sanctioned

The LP NEC said that it would not hesitate to discipline Mr Otti for the alleged offence, in line with Article 19 of the party’s constitution.

It also threatened to discipline any other member who violated the party’s constitution, regardless of how big or powerful such individuals might be.

The party vowed to sanction its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, if he further engages in any anti-party activity.

“NEC-in-session, in exercise of its duties, hereby cautions the former presidential candidate of our great party not to participate in any action capable of undermining the peace unity and integrity of the party, as the NEC will not hesitate to issue stiffer penalty if found culpable,” it said.

The NEC equally condemned the activities of the party’s House of Representatives caucus leader, Victor Ogene.

It said, as a result, Mr Ogene has now been replaced with another House of Representatives member, Ben Etanabene.

While Mr Ogene represents Anambra’s Ogbaru Federal Constituency in the lower chamber, Mr Etanabene represents Delta’s Okpe-Sapele – Uvwie Federal Constituency.

Anambra 2025: We’ll resolve our challenges

Mr Abure, at the meeting, said the LP would resolve its challenges ahead of the forth November governorship election in Anambra State and the 2027 general election.

The disputed national chairperson, however, said that the party would only field candidates who would be ready to promote its programmes.

He also said that the party was not opposed to coalition with other parties that would promote good governance.

“What the party is against is subversive activities that promote divisions in the party,” he said.

The meeting was attended by members of NWC, national officers of the party, state chairpersons and secretaries, other party leaders and co-opted NEC members.

Background

The Supreme Court, on Friday, set aside the judgement of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which recognised Mr Abure as the national chairperson of the LP.

A five-member panel of the Supreme Court unanimously held that the Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction to have affirmed Mr Abure as chairman of the LP since the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.

But the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Obiora Ifoh, later argued that Mr Abure remains the party’s national chairperson.

Mr Ifoh claimed that the Supreme Court’s position is that the matter is purely an internal affair of the party, insisting that the court did not set aside the Court of Appeal judgement of 13 November 2024, which affirmed Mr Abure as the national chairperson of the party.

READ ALSO: Abure still LP national chairman despite Supreme Court judgement – Spokesperson

Meanwhile,  the LP has been battling an intense leadership crisis for a while now which has split the party into two factions. 

Messrs Otti and Obi, belong to the same faction of the LP.

In September 2024, the faction appointed Nenadi Usman, a former Nigerian Minister, to manage the party’s affairs by heading its caretaker committee.

But, about a month after Mrs Usman’s appointment, a federal court recognised Mr Abure as the authentic national chairperson of the LP.

Mr Abure dismissed the convention that produced Mrs Usman and threatened to suspend Mr Otti and others from the party.

There was a mild drama in October when Mr Otti allied with an opposition party, the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), ahead of the conduct of local government elections in the state, which were held on 2 November 2024.

The ZLP later won chairmanship seats in 15 of the 17 local government areas of Abia State despite the state being governed by Mr Otti, a member of the LP. 

The LP won nine of the chairmanship seats, and the Young Progressives Party won the remaining two.

Instructively, ZLP enjoyed the support of Mr Otti. The governor had asked his aides and allies to contest the election under the ZLP platform, not the LP.

(NAN)