The Independent National Electoral Commission has dissociated itself from the convention organised by the National Chairman of Labour Party, Mr Julius Abure.
Recall that crisis rocked the party in April 2023 after a Federal Capital Territory High Court issued an order restraining Abure from parading himself as the LP’s national chairman.
Following the court verdict, the LP Deputy National Chairman, Lamidi Apapa, became the Acting National Chairman of the party.
But Abure fought back to retain his seat with the help of the parent body, Nigeria Labour Congress, under the leadership of its National President, Joe Ajaero.
However, Abure fell out of favour with the NLC following the national convention, which returned him and all his loyal members of the National Working Committee.
The Abure-led NWC through a lawyer later requested for a Certified True Copy of the convention document from INEC.
But the electoral commission, in a letter referenced INEC/DEPM/LP/CTC/885/1, dated July 18 and signed by Acting Secretary, Haliru Aminu, stated that it couldn’t report on the convention because it did not monitor it.
The letter which was sighted by Sunday PUNCH partly read, “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.”
Reacting, the National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, however, said INEC didn’t reject Aburi-led convention and that the inability of the commission to monitor the convention did not in any way invalidate it.
Ifoh, in a statement on Saturday, urged members of the party to be calm and ignore the report that the convention was rejected.
He said, “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.
“At no time did INEC said 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.”
