Recognise Usman As LP Chair – Obi, Otti, Others Tell INEC

• Julius Abure-led faction kicks

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Leaders of the opposition Labour Party (LP) on Wednesday stormed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital, seeking official recognition of former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman as the Party’s National Caretaker Committee Chairman.

But in a sharp response, the Julius Abure-led says the call is laughable because there is no leadership vacuum in the party contrary to claims arising from recent Supreme Court judgment on the party’s national chairmanship position.

The team led by the Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, was received by INEC National Commissioner, Sam Olumekun.

Others who were part of the Party’s delegation include Senators and members of the House of Representatives.

The visit is coming days after the Supreme Court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja recognising Abure as the LP’s National Chairman.

A five-member panel of the Apex court had, in a unanimous judgment last week, held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure National Chairman of the LP, having earlier found that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court allowed the appeal filed by Senator Ester Usman, and one other while holding that it was meritorious.

However, it proceeded to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the Labour Party for being unmeritorious.

At the engagement visit, Governor Otti read out the Certified True Copy (CTC)of the Supreme Court judgment delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro.

The judgment said; “Consequent upon the foregoing, the decisions of both higher court and the court below recognize Barrister Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the first respondent and hereby set aside and suit number FXC is hereby struck out for want of jurisdiction,” Otti said.

“In the same vein, the first respondent, that is labour party under Abure, being an offshoot of the same judgement of the court is hereby dismissed. Before I am done, may I admonish political parties and their members to endeavour to always abide by their constitutions, rules, regulations and guidelines to guide them in choosing their officers as well as candidates?

“That way, incessant internal risks which always find their way to court should be reduced. If the constitution of a political party has prescribed duration for tenure of office of an officer such as this one, such officer should be humble enough to leave at the expiration of the tenure.

“In the final analysis, I find this appeal to be meritorious and is hereby allowed. The party shall bear their respective cost, appeal allowed. This is signed by Honorable Justice John Inyang Okoro, Justice of the Supreme Court.”

But with the Julius Abure-led faction insisting that the Labour Party has no leadership vacuum, the Legal Adviser, Kehinde Edun, on Wednesday faulted Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, on his position on the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure.

Reacting to the advice that Abure should step down as LP’s National Chairman, Edun said Governor Otti was not in any position to distribute positions in the party

But in an interview on Channels Television, Edun said the governor was not in a position to distribute positions in the party.

He urged the Abia Chief Executive stay off the Party’s Leadership issues to concentrate his energy on good governance in the God’s own State.