Tag: Abure

…Usman pledges to rebuild party

The vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in last year’s election, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said the national chairman of the party, Julius Abure, was not removed by any governor but by the constitution of the party after the expiration of his tenure.

Baba-Ahmed, who spoke during the inaugural meeting of the National Caretaker Committee on Tuesday in Abuja, called on the Abure-led National Working Committee to sheath their swords and join hands with the Caretaker Committee to rebuild the party.

He said: “Listen, my friend, no governor unseated Abure. The constitution unseated him because his (Abure) tenure had elapsed. As of today, Abure is our good friend and a loyal member. We want him back in the fold. We have a role for him to play. Likewise all members of the former NEC and NWC. They are welcome to come and join us and continue to build the Labour Party.”

Baba-Ahmed also said the LP will win the 2027 presidential election and win more seats in the National Assembly.

He said: “We didn’t have a crisis. We managed a transition that was a bit bumpy and that was it. I tell you, no other political party of our size could do that in the time and manner that we did. We are a political party that went all the way to the Supreme Court claiming our 10 million votes. They were only able to give us 6 million votes. So we are a force to contend with in Africa. What we’ve done has never been done before. When PDP came they had the military. We had nothing.

The Chairman of the Labour Party National Caretaker Committee, Senator Nenadi Usman assured of the committee’s determination to rescue the party from the current challenges and restore and rebuild it as a veritable alternative platform for Nigerians.

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She pledged the readiness of the caretaker committee to lead the party to the path of reconciliation within the short period of its assignment.

Usman called for sacrifice from members of the caretaker committee, urging them to carry out their assignment with integrity in the interest of the party and the nation at large.

She said: “My brothers and sisters, we are on a rescue mission, not just for the Labour Party, but I tell you for our dear nation Nigeria. The interest this committee has generated extends beyond party lines. The number of telephone calls I have received not just from Labour Party members, but people from other political parties who told me that if we get this thing right, we will walk together. So we have a huge task.

“Our party by the grace of Almighty God will become a platform for all disenfranchised and unhappy Nigerians. For people who are not happy with the way things are going, we are going to be the platform for them by the grace of God. Therefore, we must view this significant national assignment.”

Deputy governor of Abia state, Ikechukwu Emetu, who represented the Governor, Alex Otti charged the committee members to work for the growth of the Labour Party and shun acts that can be detrimental to the interest of the party.

The secretary of the committee, Senator Darlington Nwokocha said the committee would ensure that it produced elected Ward, LGA, States, and National Officers for the party.

“We have started already, it is something we are working hard to achieve. The organs of the party at all levels will come on board soon, depending on the elasticity of what we are doing, but we want to do a good job, we will do the proper sensitisation, advocacy, consultation, consensus building and so many other legitimate things from the grassroots to the top, to making sure that the proper people are being put in place of leadership, elected from the ward to local government, to states and the national convention.

The embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure has said the party or its officials were not responsible for any financial transactions as it related to the presidential campaign of its candidate, Peter Obi in the 2023 election.

Abure said it would be mischievous for any person to accuse him and the party of mismanagement of donations to prosecute the presidential election.

The Suspended National Treasurer of the party, Oluchi Opara accused Abure of diverting N3.5 billion of funds received from the sale of nomination forms by the Labour Party and donations for the prosecution of the 2023 political campaigns.

But Abure said the campaign funds were disbursed, administered in the Southern States by the former Director-General of the Obi-Datti campaign, Dr. Doyin Okupe, and under the control of Akin Osuntokun who took over from Okupe when he resigned.

He also said the funds for the campaign in the 19 Northern States were handled by the Vice Presidential Candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed.

Abure added that the funding of the election was done by the former Anambra State governor himself.

The embattled LP chairman also listed Aisha Yesufu who was a member of the Obi – Datti campaign and Pastor Itua Ighodalo as the sole signatories to the presidential campaign accounts.

Abure added that the duo were responsible for the payment of polling unit agents during the election.

Abure who spoke after the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Monday, said: “I must seize this opportunity to make some clarifications on a few issues. I and the party have been accused of being responsible for Peter Obi’s failure in the 2023 general election. They have stated that the campaign, Election donations, and funds for the payment of agents were mismanaged by the party, hence Peter Obi failed in the Election.

“Let me make it categorically clear that campaign funds were disbursed, administered in the Southern States by the leadership of Doyin Okupe, and Secondly under the control of Akin Oshuntokun while the funding of the Campaign for the 19 Northern States was handled by the Vice Presidential Candidate of the Party Datti Baba-Ahmed. The funding of the election was done by Peter Obi himself.

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“As per the donations, the party was not involved in the donations. Donations to the campaign were channeled to the Following Accounts:

OBI/BABA-AHMED CAMPAIGN ACCOUNT

Zenith Bank – 1241950451; Sterling Bank – 0091657896; Heritage Bank – 1400234900 and Globus Bank – 1000128194.

“The signatories to these accounts were Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo. They were equally responsible for the payment of Polling Unit Agents.

“Consequently, it is mischievous for any person to accuse me and the party for mismanagement of these funds. At no time did the party or its officials engage in any financial transactions as it relates to the presidential campaign.”

Abure said himself and the National Working Committee members of the party elected at the March 27 Convention in Nnewi, Anambra State would defend the mandate given to them.

“It will be safe for me at this point to conclude that I and my colleagues elected in the Convention of our Party held on the 27th day of March 2024 will defend the mandate given to us by Members of this Party. No amount of intimidation or harassment will make us surrender this leadership.

“Together, we will continue to build this party into a formidable force, one that truly represents the interests of all Nigerians. The beautiful ones are not yet to be born, but their birth is near, and it will be through the Labour Party that they will rise to lead this great nation,” he added.

• Caretaker to conduct election  in party offices within 90 days

The crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) escalated yesterday, despite a strident attempt to resolve it.

National Chairman, Julius Abure, rejected the 29-member interim committee headed by Senator Esther Nnenadi Usman, former Minister of State for Finance, describing it as illegal.

The committee was set up during the extended stakeholders’ meeting of the party convened by the Abia State Governor Alex Otti and the national leader of the party, Mr. Peter Obi.

Otti is the only governor elected on the platform of the party.

Nnenadi, who accepted to lead the party, promised to embark on a rescue mission.

However, the National Working Committee(NWC), led by Abure, a lawyer, described the committee as  unconstitutional.

Although Abure was contacted about the meeting by the convener, he did not show up.

The caretaker committee is made up of three representatives from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), three representatives of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), three Senators, four House of Representatives members, three House of Assembly members, representatives from six geo-political zones, and four former governorship candidates.

The committee’s term of reference is the conduct of party congresses and the national convention within 90 days.

Otti, who hosted the meeting at the Banquet Hall of the Government House in Umuahia, said there was an urgent need to save the party from an impending danger that may lead to its extinction.

The governor, who clarified that he was not interested in whoever becomes the national chairman, said if the party was not rescued, it may jeopardize its participation  in future elections.

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Otti said while the Abure-led leadership has the right to challenge the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the court, it is better for LP to avoid  any action that may render its actions illegal in the future.

Obi, who described LP as the third largest party in the country, called for unity and support for the caretaker committee.

The NLC National Vice President, Salamatu Aliu, who witnessed the meeting, said the rule of law should be followed in setting up a transition committee.

He said the leadership should be put to rest, adding that previous mistakes should also be avoided.

In a communiqué read  by the 2023 deputy governorship candidate of the party in Plateau State, Edward Pwajok, the stakeholders called on party members in court to withdraw the cases.

They also affirmed their confidence in Obi as the national leader while hailing the setting up of the caretaker committee to fill the leadership vacuum in the party.

The stakeholders commended Otti for his effort to deliver the democratic dividend to the people of Abia State.

Nnenadi Usman, who promised to unite the party, assured that her committee will deliver on the assignment within 90 days.

She said LP should go into future elections as a united front, adding that the party can produce the next president in 2027.

A chieftain, Senator Victor Umeh, said those calling for the resignation of Obi as the national leader are on a white goose chase.

At the meeting were Kelvin Chukwu, Okey Ezea, Victor Lar, Nneji Achonu, Yusuf Datti, Ikechukwu Emetu, Obi Aguocha, Senator Neda Imasuen, Barr. Sunday Umeha, Deputy Speaker, Abia House of Assembly, Austin Okezie Meregini, some LP-NWC members, NEC members; NLC, TUC and other statutory members, former governorship candidates from the six geopolitical zones and Prof. Kenneth Kalu, Secretary to Abia State Government.

Abure rejects caretaker committee

The Julius Abure-led NWC rejected the caretaker committee,  describing it as illegal and unconstitutional.

He said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, that he remained the  legitimate national chairman.

It described the meeting in Umuahia as a “charade, a waste of time and resources of Abia People.”

The statement reads: “As clearly stated in our previous statement, the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, and all others who have converged on Umuahia have no power within the Party Constitution, the Electoral Act and even within the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to convene any meeting of the Party.

“The combined reading of the two provisions show clearly that the so called meeting in Umuahia is a charade, a waste of time and resources of Abia People.

“The premise on which Governor Alex Otti called the meeting is not only faulty but mischievous. Government business is not transacted verbally but through official communication and correspondences which are done in writing.

“As we speak, there is no communication whatsoever from INEC to the Party as regards any objection to the conduct of the National Convention.

“We challenge Alex Otti to produce the official letter addressed to him from INEC on the subject matter. There is no vacuum in the leadership of the Party.

“Consequently, the so-called caretaker committee set up by the Governor of Abia State is not known to the constitution of the Party and can best be described as a department in Abia State Government House.

“We are shocked to note that the so-called chairman of the caretaker committee is not a registered member of the Party. She surfaced during the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign to assist Peter Obi in his campaign.”