Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has called for unity in the Labour Party (LP), even in the face of the leadership tussle plaguing the party, saying all efforts must be made to ensure that the party succeeds.
Otti made this call on Friday in Abuja during the party’s National Executive Council which had in attendance key figures, including the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero.
It had earlier been reported that the Labour Party, LP, under the leadership of Senator Nenadi Usman, was holding its statutory National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting in Abuja.
Otti, who is the party’s only governor, pointed out that the statutory NEC meeting is coming at the instance of the Supreme Court judgment which affirmed Senator Usman Nenadi the LP National Chairman.
The governor also advised the Julius Abure-led faction to be humble enough and obey the apex court judgment.
“As law abiding people, we felt we should obey the Supreme Court judgment and what we are here to do is to begin a structured process by formalising some key committees like the interim National Working Committee which will oversee all party activities till the party’s convention when elections for a new NEC will be conducted,” the governor said.
The governor also appreciated the NLC for forming the party, claiming that now the party is bigger than the NLC, urging members of the party to be humble and work in unity for the greater good of the party
In his remarks, Ajaero described the Labour Party as a party for the common man and party members should not be discouraged by some of the challenges plaguing the party
“Anyone that is not with us and is not working with the Labour force and claims that the party Chairman is a day dreamer” When the day of reckoning comes we will say we don’t know you,” the NLC President said.
It will be recalled that the Labour Party has been embroiled in leadership tussle pitching Abure and members of his cabinet against Nenadi Usman’s Caretaker Committee constituted by the party’s presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, Governor Alex Otti and other elected officials of the party.
In April, a unanimous judgment by a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure National Chairman of the LP, having earlier found that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.
The apex court held that the issue of leadership was an internal affair of a party over which courts lacked jurisdiction and noted that Abure’s tenure had since expired.
The court allowed the appeal filed by Senator Nenadi and one other and held that it was meritorious before subsequently proceeding to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the LP for being unmeritorious.
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