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STATEMENT FROM THE LABOUR PARTY
The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party has been drawn to an illegal NEC meeting convened by Dr Alex Otti, the Abia State Governor and Peter Obi, Labour Party’s former Presidential candidate wherein they have continued to live in an unhealthy paradise and deluding themselves. At the end of their illegal meeting in Abuja today, Mr. Peter Obi led other party outlaws to the Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in attempt to pressure the electoral Commission to take illegal action against our party leadership.
The mission has shown the high level of desperation of Peter Obi and Dr. Alex Otti in trying to hijack the structure of the party. If really the Supreme Court decision is in their favour, why are they rushing to INEC to be putting undue influence on the Commission to do the wrong thing.
Also in their meeting today, they also boasted of wanting to give the National Chairman, Barrister Abure a soft landing by offering him the position of the Chairman, Board of Trustees. But unfortunately for them, Abure didn’t make himself the National Chairman, therefore it is not about Abure but about what the structures have said. It is about the supremacy of the organs of party and it is about doing things right.
It is not about offering the BoT to the National chairman that matters, because it is not within anybody’s prerogative to allocate positions, it is not about patronizing anyone, it is about the sanctity of the political institution. Needless to say that It is all these arbitral behaviours by some leaders that have led this country into a near mess it has found itself.
The Abuja illegal meeting also issued threat of intimidation and to recover the leadership of the party using all means including by way of brute force. It will be recalled that just yesterday, a political union leader, Comrade Joe Ajero has also toe that same hooliganistic approach wherein he swore to forcefully picket all Labour Party offices across the nation.
Our immediate response to that threat by Peter Obi, Gov Otti and the other renegades is that what they are planning will amount to self help. We need not inform them that there are legal ways of enforcing judgement if it is really in your favour. We advice them to seek peaceful means to resolve the crisis as threats and intimidation may never achieve anything positive.
It is pertinent to note at this juncture that the meeting and the outcome of the meeting held in Abuja is a violation of the Supreme Court judgement where it admonished party leaders to obey their party’s constitution. In line with the Supreme Court decision, no other officer or any other person in the party is allowed to call any NEC meeting except the National Secretary with the consultation and approval of the National Chairman.
Peter Obi and Dr. Alex Otti have no power under the constitution to convene the purported NEC meeting in Abuja. Consequently, the outcome of the meeting and the meeting itself is illegal, is incompetent, null and void.
It is pertinent to also draw the attention of the public to Article 14 of the party constitution which contains the composition of NEC members. For the avoidance of doubt, the article is here by reproduced as follows:
i. National Chairman
ii. Five (5) Deputy National Chairmen at least one female, One each trom NLC and TUC. One representing North and one South.
iii. The President, Vice President. the President of the Senate and the Deputy, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives; if produced by the Party and all the Governors and Deputy Governors produced by the Party.
iv.Chairmen and Secretaries of State Executive Councils of the Party.
v. Six (6) National Vice Chairmen each representing the six geopolitical zones of the country.
vi. National Secretary ;
vii. Three(3) Deputy National Secretaries viii. National Treasurer
ix. Financial Secretary
x. National Publicity Secretary
x(a) Deputy National Publicity Secretary xi. National Organizing Secretary
xi(a) Deputy National Organizing Secretary
xii. National Legal Adviser
xii(a) Deputy National Legal Adviser
xiii. National Auditor.
xiii(a) Deputy National Auditor
xiv. National Women Leader
xv. Six (6) Deputy National Women Leaders cach representing each of the six geo-political zones of the country,
vi. National Youth Leader an Six(6) Assistant National. Youth Leaders. Each representing each of the six geo-political zones of the country.
xviii, Presidents and General Secretaries of Labour centres if‘ they are, financial members of the party representing the platforms.
xix. Ex-officio members to be appointed by the National Executive Council.
xx. Chairpersons of Women Commissions of labour centres if they are members of the Party,
The notice of the meeting that was purportedly issued which listed those who will be present at the meeting is also hereby reproduced for people and members of the public to see the illegality that is being perpetuated by Gov Otti and Peter Obi in the affairs of Labour Party.
They include: Vice Presidential Candidate for 2023 Elections, Serving and Former Senators and Senatorial Candidates, Serving and Former Members NASS (HOR) and HOR Candidates, All Serving Members of State House of Assemblies, All Members of the National Caretaker Committee and NTC, All Former Governorship Candidates who still members, Representatives of NLC and TUC Political Commissions, andpAll Members of the Former National Working Committee (NWC).
There is no where in the party constitution where a body such as the National Caretaker Committee is mentioned. And there is no where where it was mentioned that a state governor or a former Presidential Candidate of the party can convene a NEC meeting.
It is unfortunate like we said earlier that the beautiful ones are not yet born. We must say here that those who want to lead Nigeria, those who are clamouring that we must have a new country where things are done differently must be seen to obey the laws of the land.
It is pertinent to mention here that if some of our leaders can not obey the principles of our constitution now that they are not in power, is it when they are in power that they will do it? Will they not throw away the Nigerian constitution and the electoral act? And if the constitution has prescribed the way and manner a new leadership must emerge, how come these leaders are not following the procedure for the benefit and the peace in the party.
We therefore condemned that illegal meeting and we call on our members and the general public to disregard the meeting and its outcome.
SIGN
Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim
National Secretary
Labour Party
09/04/2025
