…Passes vote of confidence on Obi
…Datti, Vivour, senators present, Abure absent
…Abure-led Exco disowns new caretaker chairman
The Labour Party, Wednesday, took a major step towards resolving the leadership tussle bedeviling the party as it set up a 29-member Caretaker Committee to reposition the party.
This was the outcome of the party’s extended stakeholders meeting held in Umuahia, Abia State capital.
Senator Esther Nenadi Usman from Kaduna South, is to serve as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee, while the immediate-past Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Darlington Nwokocha from Abia Central, is to serve as the Secretary.
Labour Party Senate caucus, House of Representatives caucus, as well as State House of Assemblies were represented in the committee that has three months life span.
Former governorship candidates of the party, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC); the Trade Union Congress (TUC); and the geo-political zones were equally represented in the committee.
Reading a five-point communique at the end of the massively attended meeting by party bigwigs from across the country, 2023 LP deputy governorship candidate in Plateau State, Edward Pwajok, SAN, charged the committee to give direction to the party.
He said:”The Committee is to ensure that Ward, Local Government and State congresses as well as national convention are held immediately in line with the constitution”.
Pwajok commended the National Leader of the party, Peter Obi; Gov. Alex Otti of Abia State, and other stakeholders of the party for convening the meeting which he said was expedient for the survival and future of the party.
Addressing the audience, Obi said the meeting was convened as a matter of necessity after wide consultations to salvage the party from collapse.
He said the essence of the meeting was not to sanction anybody but to fashion out ways to navigate the party out of its current leadership impasse.
Obi who said personal sacrifices were needed to move the party forward, urged all members to put the interest of the party above every other consideration.
” I have been called names. Some said I’m weak, some said I should not present myself for election again, but my position is that due process has to be followed. We are not here to sack or suspend anybody. We want to do the right thing”.
He, however, cautioned the members of the Caretaker Committee to abide by the rules and not attempt to grow beyond control.
Obi who said that Labour Party is the third largest party in Nigeria, appealed to the members to put their difference behind, unite and move the party forward.
He expressed optimism that LP would take over the country and win many states in 2023 if the members settled the lingering leadership tussle bedeviling the party.
Speaking also, Gov. Otti said the meeting was convened because as elders, they would not be watching helplessly to allow the party go down the drain.
The Governor explained that as elders, it would be unfair for them to stay at home and allow the goat give birth in tethers, hence the intervention.
” All we want to do is to salvage the party. We want to do the right thing. The constitution has to be followed”.
Otti said the future of the candidates of the party would be jeopardized if the right things were not done, hence the meeting of stakeholders.
Responding, Senator Usman noted that the responsibility before the Committee was enormous but promised to deliver on its mandate within the timeframe.
” We will ensure that we put back Labour Party in its rightful position. People have not registered with our party because of the problems bedeviling the party”.
She expressed optimism that Labour Party would bounce back and come out stronger.
In a remark, Senator Victor Umeh representing Anambra Central, said the extended meeting was “a doctrine of necessity” needed to save the party.
He explained that since the party had become rudderless following the expiration of the tenure of the last leadership of the party in June, a Caretaker Committee had to be put in place to direct the affairs of the party.
The former National Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, said he was experienced in party administration, arguing that if the intervention was not held, the party would be in for troubles.
“We cannot be building on quick sand where our efforts will sink. Nobody is against anybody. What brought us here is doctrine of necessity.
” Our party is currently rudderless, and once your party is not recognized by INEC, you will be waisting your time.
” We raised concern over the convention that purportedly took place in Nnewi in March, but it fell on deaf ears. We pointed at the pitfalls. I knew we were going to fall into a ditch. As a former national Chairman of a party, I’m conversant with party administration. You can’t put the cat before the horse. You can’t hold national convention without first organising ward, LG and state congresses.
” It doesn’t matter your relationship with anybody, once what you are doing is not right, you will be endangering everybody’s interest and right. Now that INEC has wielded the big stick as a regulatory body, I knew we ran into a stormy water.
” For your (party) Chairman to attend a meeting and he will be asked to leave, that shows you are not part of the system any more. I read the consent judgement and it said that the past leadership must hold a convention.
” So, this meeting was convened because we were caught napping. I have been in court for years and I know where the mines are laid.
” We are not against anybody. We are here because we are no longer what INEC is doing. We didn’t create the trouble, rather we are here to solve it. So, nobody should blame anybody.”
Some of the party bigwigs present at the meeting were the LP vice presidential candidate in 2023, Datti Ahmed; the Lagos State governorship candidate of LP in 2023, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour; and his Imo State counterpart, Senator Athan Achonu.
Others were Senator Kelvin Chukwu representing Enugu East; Senator Victor Lar (Plateau State); Senator Imasuen Neda (Edo State); Abia Deputy Governor, Ikechukwu Emetu; Rep. Obi Aguocha, and other LP Rep members from different states
LP state Assembly members from many states among other stakeholders were in attendance.
However, LP National Chairman, Julius Abure did not attend the meeting.
The meeting passed vote of confidence on Obi ad the party’s national leader.
It also urged all party members with pending litigations against the party to withdraw same immediately and embrace reconciliation.
Abure-led Labour Party disowns new caretaker chairman
With the meeting, the Labour Party has been plunged into further turmoil as the Julius Abure-led faction disowned the newly appointed caretaker chairman, Nenadi Usman.
Despite a previous Court of Appeal judgment affirming Abure as national chairman, the Labour Party National Convention constituted a caretaker committee, sparking controversy.
Reacting, the Abure-led faction rejected the caretaker committee, insisting that Abure remains the legitimate national chairman.
A statement signed by the national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, described Nenadi Usman’s appointment as “illegal and unconstitutional
