Obi, Otti’s panel lacks power to appeal judgment affirming Abure – LP

National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure

The embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has dismissed the threat by the party’s caretaker committee, led by Nenadi Usman, to appeal last week’s judgment affirming his (Abure’s) leadership.

In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, the pro-Abure National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, contended that the Usman-led 29-man caretaker panel was unknown to law and thus lacked the locus standi to challenge the court’s judgment validating Abure’s leadership.

The PUNCH reported last week the Nenadi Usman caretaker committee met with the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, before deciding to drag Abure to the Appeal Court.

The move came a few hours after the Federal High Court in Abuja declared the contentious national convention that returned him and his National Working Committee to office as valid.

The court also compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise Abure as LP National Chairman.

The court ruled that the Nnewi convention earlier held in March was constitutional and in line with the laid down laws of the country.

In a statement issued in the wake of the judgment, an excited Abure expressed his readiness for reconciliation and further appealed to Obi to help pacify the party bigwigs and other aggrieved members.

Reacting in a terse counter statement released in Abuja on Tuesday night, the Chairman of the Labour Party Caretaker Committee, Senator Nenadi Usman, announced that they would appeal the judgment.

While urging the party faithful to remain calm, Usman disclosed the decision to appeal the judgment was consciously taken after they met with Obi to deliberate on the development.

In an exclusive interview with our correspondent, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, said the Abure-led NWC was not losing over the threat to appeal the judgment.

According to him, neither Obi nor the committee was a party to the case in the first place.

He said, “It would be unfortunate if they toe that line because you can’t appeal a judgment that you are not a party to. The caretaker committee is not a body known to the Labour Party constitution. It is not a body known to the electoral law or the Constitution of Nigeria. So, they do not even have a locus.

“The body was not part of the suit. The suit was between the Labour Party and the INEC. So you cannot appeal what you are not involved in. There are so many instances in the Nigerian law that say if you are not a party to any suit, you cannot appeal. So they have an alternative, maybe they can start a fresh suit. But their name, as I told you, is not even recognised by the law.

“What is important is that the Labour Party has been in existence, and we have our fair share of crisis, which has been firmly resolved in the interest of the party. If you don’t like the leadership, you will have to wait until its term expires in four years. For now, the leadership of Julius Abure will expire in 2028. That is what the law has said.”