The leadership of the Labour Party led by Julius Abure has warned that any attempt to dissolve the party’s elected ward local government and state executives across the country is unlawful.
The warning was issued in a statement released on Saturday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh. The statement cautioned the caretaker committee headed by Nenadi Usman to respect the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission regarding the ongoing leadership dispute.
According to the party leadership the statement was in response to claims by what it described as a discredited faction which allegedly planned to dissolve existing party executives and replace them with interim officials across the country.
The Abure led leadership said the electoral commission had already made it clear that such action would not be recognized because it failed to follow due process and did not comply with the party constitution. The party cited a letter from the commission stating that the dissolution of state local government and ward executives in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory could not be accepted because the meeting that approved the decision was not properly communicated to the commission and lacked constitutional backing.
The party further insisted that the caretaker committee does not have the legal authority within the party structure to remove or appoint executives. It argued that the committee was formed outside the provisions of the party constitution and therefore cannot make binding decisions regarding the party’s leadership structure.
The statement also criticized the process through which the caretaker committee emerged alleging that Alex Otti and Peter Obi convened stakeholders and appointed the interim committee without following constitutional procedures.
While acknowledging that the leadership dispute is currently before the Court of Appeal the party said it felt compelled to respond to what it described as misinformation being spread by the opposing faction.
The Abure leadership urged party members to ignore attempts to mislead supporters and expressed confidence that the court would eventually resolve the crisis. It added that once the legal issues are settled the party would focus on strengthening its structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
You May Like
Leave a comment