From Femi Mustapha and Divine Macaulay, in Kaduna
Officials of Nigeria’s Labour Party (LP) have accused the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, and the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of attempting to allegedly hijack the party structure for personal political interests.
Party leaders, however, said they would resist what they described as a clandestine and desperate move by Otti and Obi.
In a statement made available to journalists in Kaduna yesterday, the LP’s National Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, condemned what he called an “illegal” National Executive Council (NEC) meeting convened by Otti and Obi in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said, “At the end of their illegal meeting in Abuja, Mr Obi led other party outlaws to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in an attempt to pressure the Commission to take unlawful action against the party leadership.
“Their mission demonstrates the high level of desperation to seize control of the party’s structure. If the Supreme Court ruling truly supports them, why the rush to INEC to exert undue influence?”
Ibrahim also claimed that Obi and Otti offered a “soft landing” to the National Chairman, Julius Abure, by proposing to make him Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
“But unfortunately for them, Abure did not appoint himself chairman. It is not about personalities; it is about the supremacy of party organs and adherence to due process,” he said.
“It is not within anyone’s prerogative to allocate positions. This sort of political patronage undermines the sanctity of our democratic institutions. Such arbitrary behavior by leaders is partly responsible for the state of governance in the country.”
He further alleged that the Abuja meeting included threats and plans to reclaim party leadership by any means, including force.
Ibrahim referenced a similar stance by labor union leader Comrade Joe Ajaero, who had vowed to picket LP offices nationwide.
“Our immediate response to Obi, Otti, and other renegades is that their plans amount to self-help. If the court ruling is in their favor, there are legal means to enforce it. Intimidation and threats will not yield positive outcomes,” he said.
He added that the meeting violated a Supreme Court ruling which reaffirmed that only the National Secretary, in consultation with the National Chairman, could convene NEC meetings.
“Obi and Otti lack the constitutional authority to convene such a meeting. Therefore, both the meeting and its resolutions are null and void,” he stated.
Ibrahim also faulted the list of attendees circulated ahead of the meeting,
describing it as evidence of illegality.
Attendees reportedly included the 2023 vice-presidential candidate, serving and former lawmakers, members of the so-called National Caretaker Committee, and representatives of the NLC and TUC.
“There is no mention of any ‘National Caretaker Committee’ in our party constitution. Nor is there any provision for a governor or former presidential candidate to convene a NEC meeting,” Ibrahim said.
He concluded by warning that if party leaders cannot respect internal rules while out of power, they are unlikely to uphold the national constitution if given the opportunity.
“We condemn this illegal meeting in totality and urge members and the public to disregard both the gathering and its outcomes,” he said.
