Labour Party Crisis: Abure rejects Usman’s INEC deregistration claims 

Julius Abure’s leadership of the Labour Party has responded to remarks made by the interim chairperson appointed by party stakeholders, Senator Nanedi Usman.

Usman had suggested that her committee played a pivotal role in preventing the party from being deregistered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Obiora Ifoh, the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, issued a statement from Abuja refuting these claims. He described Usman’s statement as “ludicrous, unattainable, unsubstantiated, and a pack of lies.”

Ifoh emphasized that the Labour Party is in good standing, fully compliant with legal requirements, and therefore, there is no threat of deregistration by INEC.

He also accused certain leaders of exploiting INEC’s erroneous belief that the current executives’ tenure had expired. Ironically, some of these leaders were once critical of INEC’s handling of the 2023 general elections but are now attempting to use the commission’s stance against the party’s leadership.

The statement further described the September 4 Stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia, which produced Senator Usman as interim leader, as both unconstitutional and illegal.

Ifoh argued that the Labour Party’s constitution does not recognize any such stakeholder group, making their actions and existence invalid under the law.

The statement read:

“Labour Party leadership wishes to refute that statement as ludicrous, unattainable, unsubstantiated and a pack of lies.

“We wish to state emphatically that the Labour Party is in a good shape at the moment, having fully abided by the laws of the land and therefore can not be deregistered by INEC.

“These leaders have also mischievously leveraged on INEC’s misinformed and erroneous disposition that the tenure of the party’s current executives has expired.

“ It is paradoxical that some of these leaders, who were victims of INEC’s mismanagement of the 2023 general election are now the ones quoting INEC, in order to victimize the leadership of the Labour Party.

“As we have maintained earlier, the September 4 Stakeholders’ meeting held in Umuahia is unconstitutional and illegal as the party’s constitution clearly states all the organs of the party, of which Stakeholder is not one of them.

“The stakeholder group which produced Senator Usman as its leader has no foundation whatsoever, and therefore, its existence is delusional and can never be recognized by INEC or any law of the land.

“Senator Nenadi’s claim that the Stakeholders saved the party from being deregistered by the INEC is equally preposterous.

“This is because the existence of the Labour Party is not under any threat. Perhaps, Nenadi Usman is not aware that Appeal Courts both in Edo state and FCT have affirmed Julius Abure as the rightful National Chairman of the party.

“She is probably unaware that a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice J.K Omotosho had also declared that the national convention of the party held in Nnewi on the March 26, 2024 is valid and was conducted in line with the requirement of both the 2022 Electoral Act and Labour Party constitution.

“We wish to remind Senator Usman that even the Supreme Court in several judgements had ruled that Issues regarding delegates at a National Convention or how the convention is planned and executed by a political party are outside the jurisdiction of any Court of the land being internal affairs of the – such a party.

“We are aware of all efforts by Senator Usman and her co-travellers to pressure the INEC to cave in to their wishes and demands but unknown to her, INEC as an institution is bound to respect the laws of the land.”