Leaders of the opposition Labour Party on Wednesday marched to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

Led by the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, the members were received by INEC National Commissioner, Sam Olumekun.

They asked the electoral body to recognise Nenadi Usman as the LP chairman, days after the Supreme Court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja recognising Abure as the National Chairman of the LP.

In a unanimous judgment last week, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure National Chairman of the LP, having earlier found that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.

The court allowed the appeal filed by Senator Ester Usman, and one other and held that it was meritorious before subsequently proceeding to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the LP for being unmeritorious.

Otti read out the Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgement as delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro.

“Consequent upon the foregoing, the decisions of both higher court and the court below recognize Barrister Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the first respondent and hereby set aside and suit number FXC is hereby struck out for want of jurisdiction,” Otti said.

“In the same vein, the first respondent, that is labour party under Abure, being an offshoot of the same judgement of the court is hereby dismissed. Before I am done, may I admonish political parties and their members to endeavour to always abide by their constitutions, rules, regulations and guidelines to guide them in choosing their officers as well as candidates?

“That way, incessant internal risks which always find their way to court should be reduced. If the constitution of a political party has prescribed duration for tenure of office of an officer such as this one, such officer should be humble enough to leave at the expiration of the tenure.

“In the final analysis, I find this appeal to be meritorious and is hereby allowed. The party shall bear their respective cost, appeal allowed. This is signed by Honorable Justice John Inyang Okoro, Justice of the Supreme Court.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday nominated Mr Jude Ezenwafor as its candidate for the Nov. 8 governorship election in Anambra.

Dr Cornell Onwubuya, Chairman of the Anambra Governorship Election Congress Committee, said Ezenwafor was the sole aspirant and secured 798 ‘yes’ votes.

He added that 26 votes were declared invalid, while 853 delegates were accredited out of 999 listed for the congress.

The congress took place at the Women’s Development Centre, Awka.

Onwubuya said the process followed the PDP constitution and electoral guidelines.

“By the power vested in me and in line with PDP rules, I hereby declare Jude Ezenwafor our candidate,” he stated.

In his remarks, Ezenwafor said the PDP was on a rescue mission in Anambra and urged voters to support their bid to reclaim leadership.

He said he joined the race to return the PDP to the Anambra Government House.

“If you support me, the dream will come true. They say PDP is dead, but I will prove them wrong.

“All LGA and Ward Chairmen are now automatic coordinators in their areas. Our journey to Government House has begun,” he added.

Mr Chidi Chidebe, PDP Chairman in Anambra, said the party was heading into the election rejuvenated, united and strong.

He said Anambra regretted rejecting the PDP in the past and was ready to make amends.

According to him, many who left the PDP returned after discovering worse conditions in other parties.

Chidebe said PDP remains Nigeria’s most liberal party and had built the core governance structures in place today.

“We are the strongest party in Anambra. Only PDP can defeat the ruling party here. Let’s unite and make it happen,” he said. (NAN)

By  Amos  Tauna, Kaduna

The National Coordinator of Liberal Progressive and Patriotic Members Congress (LPPMC), Dr. Kingsley Okundaye, has called on the Labour Party (LP) to return to its founding ideals of inclusivity and worker solidarity, or perish as a relic of one man’s ambition following the leadership crisis the party has found itself.

According to him, “The ball is now in Senator Nenadi Usman’s court and the hands of Labour Party members ready to reclaim their party’s soul.”

A statement he issued and made available to Daily Post, said, “The Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria has been embroiled in a leadership crisis that encapsulates the tension between democratic principles and autocratic maneuvering. At the heart of this turmoil is Julius Abure, whose controversial rise to power, legal battles, and eventual judicial rebuke by the Supreme Court offer a stark lesson in the consequences of constitutional disregard and judicial overreach.

He alleged that “Abure’s scheming, a blend of legal loopholes and political coercion collapsed under judicial scrutiny”, saying that the Supreme Court’s judgment reaffirms that legitimacy flows from democratic processes, not court rulings.

Okundaye lamented that under Abure’s leadership, LP was crippled in the sense that 12 House of Representatives members, 4 senators, and 21 state legislators defected, saying that the LP scored less than 2% in the Ondo governorship election and lost all 23 chairmanship seats in Edo LG polls while members deserted to the PDP and APC, citing Abure’s “toxic unilateralism”.

According to the National Coordinator, “The verdict affirmed INEC’s stance: Abure’s tenure expired in March 2024, and his convention was illegitimate. For Usman, this was vindication, though the apex court stopped short of installing her, urging the LP to resolve its crisis internally.”

He explained that the Supreme Court’s ruling offers the Labour Party a lifeline, pointing out that Senator Usman’s leadership must quikly convene a legitimate convention that adhere to the NLC’s consent judgment and LP Constitution, ensuring worker unions and NEC members participate.

Okundaye stated that the party should

reintegrate fractured blocs, mend ties with Peter Obi’s base, youth groups, and the Obidient Movement as well as ebrand for 2027 and prioritize internal democracy, credible candidates, and grassroots mobilization.

He explained that Julius Abure’s path to the LP’s national chairmanship began with a brazen political coup in Edo State, as National Secretary, he exploited factional divisions to orchestrate the removal of Maria Labeki, the constitutional successor of the late chairman, saying that Abure installed himself as chairman, violating the LP Constitution, as the move set a precedent for his subsequent power consolidation.

By 2023, he noted that Abure’s leadership faced legal scrutiny, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), a critical stakeholder, sued him for sidelining workers’ unions in party decisions, stressing that the case (NLC v. LP & Anor, Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1626/2023) culminated in a consent judgment on March 15, 2024 where Abure agreed to conduct an “all-inclusive, expansive national convention” within one year as well collaborate with the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to reorganize the party.

“Instead of complying, Abure staged a sham national convention on March 27, 2024. INEC flagged irregularities, noting the LP failed to provide the mandatory 21-day notice under Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022,” he explained.

He opined, “The LP’s survival hinges on heeding the lessons learned and ensuring no future leader becomes a second Abure.”