Julius Abure-led faction of Labour Party (LP) convened a national executive council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
Gatekeepers News reports that the session, held at the party’s national secretariat, came amid ongoing disputes over the 2024 national convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, which had confirmed Abure as chairman and sparked multiple litigations and rival claims from prominent figures, including 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti.
In July, Obi, Otti, and other party leaders rejected the Nnewi convention results and established a 29-member caretaker committee led by former minister Nenadi Usman to organise fresh congresses and a new convention.
The dispute intensified a leadership crisis that has persisted for months, with both factions citing court rulings and constitutional provisions to justify their positions.
After the NEC meeting on Friday, Abure stated that members relied on Supreme Court rulings confirming that internal party affairs are beyond judicial intervention.
He emphasised that the NEC has the mandate to manage the party between conventions and fill vacancies.
Abure said, “The NEC has the responsibility and power to manage the affairs of political parties between national conventions as well as to fill vacant positions.”
“It is for this reason that we called this meeting so that we can do the needful, resolve all our crises, differences and strategically position the party for the 2027 election.”
“There is no gainsaying that the fact that there will be a beginning of the existence of the Labour Party. That we have come this far is a powerful statement that we have made.”
“Whether we like it or not, LP has become a reference point in the political firmament of Nigeria. We have done so and reinforced the supremacy of political parties in Nigeria. The Labour Party has set the pace and standard that parties are bigger than individual persons in the party.”
Abure also thanked INEC for deploying officials to observe the meeting, saying their presence validated the process and noting that the absence of INEC officials during the Nnewi convention had contributed to the subsequent controversies.
He added that INEC’s involvement brought equity, justice, fair play, and peace to parties grappling with internal disputes.
Citing the Supreme Court, he reiterated that political parties are corporate entities with their constitution, rules, regulations, and guidelines which are binding on members, and that those joining the party must follow its internal dispute-resolution mechanisms.
Following deliberations on issues from the Nnewi convention, the NEC ratified the list of national officers elected on March 27, 2024, including Abure as chairman and Umar Farouk Ibrahim as national secretary.
The council also filled vacant positions and authorised the chairman and secretary to call a special convention if necessary, while approving plans for ward, local government, and state congresses nationwide.
