Some aggrieved stakeholders of the Labour Party (LP) have commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for disowning the party’s national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State, by the Julius Abure faction of the party, describing the decision as the right thing to do.
 
The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, had indicated that the conduct of the LP’s convention was not monitored by INEC, declining to state further why it was not monitored. 
  
The spokesperson of the Lamidi Apapa faction of the party, Abayomi Arambabi, said “with INEC’s disclaimer on the convention, the only recognised authority of the LP now is that of Lamidi Apapa as the leader of the party.”  He, however, said the Abure camp has reached out to them, saying they are ready to go into a meeting with them.
 
“They are the ones that called us for a meeting; they are our party members, we only have issues of leadership. This kind of thing happened in APC, PDP and they settled it. So, it is only the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that is the meddlesome interloper,” he said.
 
Osereme Omofoma Christian, who was the senatorial candidate of the party in Edo Central and now the Senior Legislative Aide to Senator Ireti Kingibe (LP, FCT), said INEC did well in disowning the convention.
 
“It was a sham and as far as we are concerned, the Obidients are not happy with what went on there. We reserve our comments. INEC did not monitor the convention and so it was just a gathering of party faithful and officials. 
 
“That was not a national convention. There is a criterion for national convention. Delegates were not elected; somebody sat in a room and drew up delegates list. When was the congress held to select delegates? So, it was a sham; it was not a convention,” he stressed.
 
The suspended national treasurer of the party, Oluchi Opara, said: “I want to applaud INEC for doing the right thing because INEC in their wisdom discovered that the convention was a kangaroo and was not a good one and INEC thought it wise not to be in attendance because we are talking about illegality; they did not want to be part of the illegality.”
 
She described the convention as a gathering of the Abure support group.  Meanwhile, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, has said they were not aware of any BoT and the threats to take over the party. 
 
He said the party was surprised to stumble on a statement trending on the social media purportedly from one Comrade SOZ Ejiofor on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the party claiming that he has taken over the leadership of the party.
 
Ifoh said: “Amusing as that will sound, but with the greatest respect to the former leader of the party, we sympathise with the comrade who has since left the political scene more than a decade ago only to be energised, briefed and drafted into this unnecessary tussle by the disgruntled elements in the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC.
 
“First, ever since Ejiofor stepped down as the first National Chairman of the Labour Party over two decades ago, he has neither attended any meeting nor played any noticeable role as a member of the party. 
 
“He is not even known in his ward and has not paid a single dime as membership dues, which qualifies him as a member. It is surprising therefore that after he was “visited” by some leaders of NLC. he suddenly woke up from his slumber.
 
“The point here is that the Labour Party is not aware of the existence of any Board of Trustees. Recall that NLC has continued to propose for the reconstitution of the BoT as well as the convocation of the National Convention. 
 
“Over 90 per cent of persons being suggested to form membership of the proposed BoT have since left the party to join other political parties; some even contested various political positions on the platform of other political parties while some others featured prominently in the presidential campaigns of the other political parties even when Labour Party equally featured a candidate in the 2023 general election.
 
“This is what desperation in the ranks of the NLC can cause. Why not let the man enjoy his retirement? Why drag him into your mess? Let Ejiofor show evidence of one meeting he convened in the last one decade of his so-called BoT.”