The crisis rocking the Labour Party deepened on Tuesday when the party’s leadership warned Governor Alex Otti of Abia State to stick to governance and stop meddling in the party’s administration.

The National Chairman of LP, Julius Abure, issued the warning at a press conference held in Abuja.

Abure lamented that it was bad enough for the party to endure criticisms and persecution from those seeking to tear the party apart than to watch its own chieftains, members and stakeholders toe the same path.

The LP National Chairman’s anger stemmed from a recent meeting he had with Otti where the Abia governor stated his intention to convene a National Executive Meeting meeting on August 31 to ‘dissolve the National Executive Council, State Executive Council, Local Government Executive Council and Ward Executive Council’ on the purported ground that their tenures expired.

But Abure kicked, saying it was not the position of the governor to consider taking such a decision.

Consequently, he announced to journalists on Tuesday that the National Working Committee of the party had set up a disciplinary committee to henceforth sanction erring members or bigwigs who make decisions that could undermine the party.

He said, “The National Working Committee also notes that assuming, without conceding, that the tenure of the current NWC has even expired, we must state clearly that it is not the responsibility of Dr Alex Otti as the Governor of Abia State to convene a NEC meeting for the purpose of setting up a caretaker committee. It is still the responsibility of the national chairman and the national secretary of the party to convene such a meeting.

“Secondly, it is the responsibility of INEC to officially communicate to the party in writing as to why it has objection to the conduct of the convention and indeed, to draw the attention of the leadership to the fact that their tenure has expired. We want to appeal to our colleagues to concentrate on governance and allow us to handle party affairs.

 

“Consequently, the national leadership states clearly that it will not hesitate to discipline any member who is not ready to obey the party constitution and indeed, obey the lawful directive of the leadership. The national leadership hereby states unequivocally that there is no vacuum in the leadership of our party.

“The Labour Party is different from other political parties in the sense that it is not a party that is controlled by one man, woman or leader; neither is it a party that can be put in the pocket of one person. It is a party for the generality of the people. The outlook of the party made it possible for people like Dr Alex Otti to use the platform and win in 2023 after trying and failing in APC, PDP and even APGA.”

Continuing, Abure said Otti’s argument was premised allegedly on the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission that the current NWC and other grassroots leaders’ tenures had expired.

But the LP chair said until the recent omission of the party from INEC parley with political parties, they had no rift with the commission.

“Therefore, for any person(s), group or agency to speculate that the tenures of the current executives have expired, is not only mischievous but a deliberate attempt to put the party in comatose. Apart from the fact that a Federal High Court in Abuja has already validated the National Convention held on March 27, other persons have challenged the party’s convention.

“It is, therefore, trite in our laws that once cases are pending in our courts, parties are to maintain status quo ante in order not to destroy the rest of the party. INEC is expected not to descend into the arena of conflict but to continue with its neutrality and work cordially with the recognized leadership of the Party until the courts state otherwise,” Abure said.

Abure’s remarks signalled a further crack in the LP structure and may create an opportunity for the All Progressives Congress to displace the party from Abia State where it has its only governor.

Last week, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, vowed that Otti would be the only and last LP governor to rule Abia State, stating that the APC would displace him and take over in 2027.