The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ordered Julius Abure to henceforth stop parading himself as the chairman of Labour Party.
This was made public in a counter-affidavit filed by Ayuba Mohammed, an Executive Officer in INEC’s Litigation and Prosecution Department, in suit NO. FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024.
This was in response to a suit by the Labour Party contesting its exclusion from the commission’s refresher training for uploading party agents before the Edo and Ondo gubernatorial elections.
The development follows the expiration of Abure’s tenure on June 9, 2024, as confirmed by the party’s Board of Trustees Secretary, Salisu Mohammad.
INEC claimed it did not monitor, participate in, or recognise the purported National Convention of the Labour Party held on March 27, 2024, in Anambra, where Abure claimed to have been re-elected.
The Commission argued that the convention was conducted in breach of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, INEC’s regulations and guidelines for political parties 2022, and the Labour Party constitution 2019.
Citing its regulations, INEC stated that it only deals with valid and subsisting national chairmen and secretaries of political parties in issuing notices and correspondence.
The Labour Party has been embroiled in a leadership crisis, with Lamidi Apapa declaring himself the “original” chairman, opposing the INEC-recognised Abure faction.
In a bid to resolve the crisis, the National Executive Committee (NEC) established a 29-man Caretaker Committee, led by Nenadi Usman, to conduct democratic congresses and elect new party leadership at all levels.
The leadership crisis has sparked concerns about the party’s future, with some members accusing Abure’s leadership of “illegalities” and “corruption”.