LP faults Nenadi Usman committee, says INEC can’t deregister party

The leadership of the Labour Party on Tuesday knocked the Chairman of the newly installed caretaker committee, Senator Nenadi Usman, for stating that they were inaugurated as a quick intervention to rescue the party from being deregistered.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja.

While describing the statement as ludicrous, unsubstantiated, and a pack of lies, Ifoh explained that the party has fully abided by the electoral laws guiding political platforms and, therefore, cannot be deregistered by INEC.

The concern comes barely two weeks after the Labour Party presidential flag bearer in 2023, Peter Obi; Abia State Governor, Alex Otti and some party stakeholders set up a 29-man caretaker committee

The committee, headed by Usman, a former minister, was saddled with a mandate to conduct an expanded election to birth new executives at the ward, local government, state, and national levels.

But the decision didn’t sit well with the Abure-led NWC, which described it as a null and illegal arrangement.

The party further warned Otti to stick to governance and stop meddling in the party’s affairs.

Reacting on Tuesday, Ifoh stated that Usman and the party leaders backing the committee ‘mischievously leveraged on INEC’s misinformed and erroneous disposition’ that the tenure of the current executives has expired.

He said, “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 to victimise the leadership of the Labour Party. As earlier stated, 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 the stakeholder is not one.

“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 unaware that Appeal Courts both in Edo state and FCT have affirmed Julius Abure as the rightful national chairman.

“We wish to remind Senator Usman that even the Supreme Court, in several judgments, 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 the internal affairs of such a party.”

Continuing, the spokesman said the Abure-led National Working Committee was aware of the shenanigans and efforts by Usman and her alleged co-travellers to pressure the INEC to cave into their demands, stressing that INEC as an institution is bound to respect the laws of the land.

Ifoh also appealed to aggrieved members and factions of the party to come together and work for the victory of the party and Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“We are also aware of their desperate moves to shop for courts in Abia state that will be willing to illegally carry out their bidding. We advise the stakeholders to stop dissipating energy in forum-shopping particularly with a court that lacks territorial jurisdiction.

“It is laughable because both INEC and Labour Party have their headquarters in Abuja, and the stakeholders are shopping for a court in Aba, where they hope to get political patronage. We urge them to seek proper counsel.

“Finally, we urge Senator Usman and her co-travelers to retrace their steps for the interest of the party and Nigerians as 2027 is fast approaching. We want to remind them that factionalising the party will help no one’s interest.”

Efforts to get the reactions of Usman and the caretaker committee secretary, Darlington Nwokocha, were unsuccessful.

As of the time of filing the story, they didn’t return any of the calls made.