The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has distanced itself from the recent convention organised by Mr Julius Abure, National Chairman of the Labour Party. This development follows a period of turmoil within the party, which began in April 2023 when a Federal Capital Territory High Court issued an order restraining Abure from acting as the party’s national chairman.
In the wake of the court ruling, Lamidi Apapa, the Deputy National Chairman, assumed the role of Acting National Chairman. Despite this, Abure, with the backing of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) under its National President Joe Ajaero, managed to reclaim his position. The Abure-led faction subsequently held a national convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, on March 27, 2024.
However, this convention led to a fallout between Abure and the NLC, especially after the convention reaffirmed Abure and his loyalists in the National Working Committee (NWC). Seeking official recognition, the Abure-led NWC requested a Certified True Copy of the convention documentation from INEC.
In response, INEC, in a letter dated July 18 and signed by Acting Secretary Haliru Aminu, stated that it could not provide a report on the convention as it was not monitored by the commission. The letter, referenced INEC/DEPM/LP/CTC/885/1, read in part: “The commission has received your request for the Certified True Copy of the monitored report of Labour Party convention at Nnewi, Anambra State, held on the 27th of March 2024, and the Labour Party constitution. The Certified True Copy of the Labour Party Constitution has been forwarded to your firm earlier. Regrettably, the commission did not monitor the Labour Party Convention of 27th March, 2024 and cannot therefore report on the convention.”
Despite this clarification from INEC, Obiora Ifoh, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, asserted that the electoral commission’s inability to monitor the convention did not invalidate it. In a statement released on Saturday, Ifoh urged party members to remain calm and disregard reports suggesting that the convention had been rejected.
“INEC’s inability to monitor the convention did not in any way invalidate the internal party activity. INEC has also continued to respect the laws of the land despite pressure from certain quarters to compromise its civic responsibility,” Ifoh stated. “At no time did INEC say it had rejected the outcome of the convention of the Labour Party. We have since moved on from the very successful convention, and activities in the party have been frenzied with huge membership drives and other political events.”
This episode highlights the ongoing tensions within the Labour Party and underscores the importance of adherence to procedural norms and institutional endorsements in Nigerian political processes.
