Labour Party: INEC Refuses To Recognize Obi, Otti, Nenadi Usman’s Group

ABUJA – The Senator Nenadi Usman led Labour Party Caretaker Committee on 6 September failed in its bid to secure the recognition of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the authentic Labour Party national executives.

The Committee had approached INEC seeking to formally be accorded regards to take over the Julius Abure led National Working Committee (NWC) which the electoral body said has outlived its tenure.

The move followed an earlier application to the body in this regard.

A member of the Committee who spoke under the condition of anonymity said that INEC has not acted officially on the committee’s request after it submitted the letter requesting recognition.

The source said the Committee is facing a brick wall as the electoral body has insisted that the process the committee took was unconstitutional and cannot be defended.

According to the source, “Though INEC urged the Stakeholders, believing that peace will return to the party if they were able to persuade Abure or any member of the National Working Committee to attend the Umuahia meeting. This to INEC will give the meeting some form of legitimacy but unfortunately, no member of the NWC showed up at the Umuahia meeting. Their absence defeated the whole aim and INEC’s arms were tied.

“The first letter for recognition was sent on the 6th of September. That letter was rejected because while the Abia Governor, Alex Otti appended his signature on the letter, someone however signed on behalf of Peter Obi. The INEC officials insisted that there will not be a proxy endorsement. Another letter was sent two days later with appropriate signatures, yet the letter was neither treated nor honoured.”

Another source in the Caretaker Committee who volunteered that having not received expected response from INEC, the Committee approached a state High Court in Aba, Abia state to seek an injunction to restrain the Abure led executive from parading itself as the authentic officers of the party.

The court refused the order while insisting on interlocutory process. The matter however came up for hearing on Tuesday but again the Judge declined to continue with the case, choosing to return the case file to the Chief Judge of Abia State for reassignment.

Investigation has it that the Nenadi Usman and her Committee members had assembled in Abuja on Tuesday to roll the drums while desperately waiting for the Aba judgment which they had hoped would go their way.

The Aba court’s refusal to grant the Nenadi Usman’s Committee prayers, the source revealed, affected the inauguration of the Usman’s led LP as the group waited for the decision of the Federal High Court on the matter before it.

The source further disclosed that the group was frustrated by the electoral umpire’s insistence on the provisions of the party’s constitution; as it has been advised to wait for the outcome of the suit which is before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Recall former Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi had on September 4, in Umuahia, inaugurated 29 member Caretaker committee, during a Labour Party Special Stakeholders meeting convened by the Abia state governor, Sir. Alex Otti.

Recall also the former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman was appointed the chairperson, while the immediate-past Senate Minority Deputy Whip, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, was also appointed to serve as Secretary.

The committee was mandated to midwife an election of a new leadership of the party within the next 90 days. Its terms of reference include, ensuring the conduct of Ward, Local Government, State Congresses and National Convention as soon as possible and in accordance with the Constitution of the Labour Party.

Meanwhile the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, when contacted to comment on the development, said the party does not recognize the Caretaker Committee. He called on the party members to see the Committee as destabilizing agents that must not be given a chance to wreck havoc in the party.

He said, “Our party is intact and we will not allow visitors to chase out of the house we laboured to build. Some of them are barely one year old and now they are positioning themselves, their kin and kits to take over the party. The party is run by a constitution and anything unconstitutional will not be accepted.”