Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, on Friday secured a major victory in the party’s long-drawn leadership crisis as the National Executive Committee formally reaffirmed the outcome of the controversial March 2024 national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State.
The NEC meeting, held at the party’s Abuja secretariat and monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission led by Mrs Rakiya Dattijo, also retained Abure as National Chairman and Umar Farouk Ibrahim as National Secretary.
Former vice-presidential candidate, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, was present at the session — the first time a top figure from the Peter Obi camp has attended an Abure-led NEC meeting in over a year.
Speaking to journalists afterwards, Abure said the gathering relied heavily on recent Supreme Court judgments that declared internal party affairs non-justiciable.
“The NEC has the responsibility and power to manage the affairs of political parties between national conventions as well as to fill vacant positions,” he said.
“We have done so and reinforced the supremacy of political parties in Nigeria. The Labour Party has set the pace and standard that parties are bigger than individual persons.”
The Nnewi convention had sparked months of bitter dispute, with Peter Obi, Governor Alex Otti and other stakeholders rejecting the exercise and setting up a parallel caretaker committee headed by former Finance Minister Nenadi Usman.
Friday’s NEC, however, ratified the Nnewi outcome, filled several vacant positions and directed Abure and the National Secretary to organise ward, local government and state congresses nationwide ahead of a possible special convention.
Abure praised INEC for attending, noting that the commission’s absence at the Nnewi convention had fuelled much of the controversy.
“Without sounding immodest, I have always said that when lawyers are in office, there is always equity, justice, fair play and peace. I am happy that peace is finally returning,” he added.
