The Labour Party (LP) has held its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja following ongoing controversy over the Supreme Court judgment on the party’s leadership crisis.
The meeting, which took place yesterday at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, was presided over by Nenadi Usman, a former minister of finance and current chairperson of the party’s caretaker committee.
In attendance were key figures within the party, including Peter Obi, LP’s 2023 presidential candidate; Datti Baba-Ahmed, his running mate, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti. Also present were Olumide Akpata and Athan Achonu, the party’s governorship candidates for Edo State and Imo State, respectively.
This gathering came just 48 hours after Julius Abure, the factional chairman, threatened to sanction Obi and Otti for convening the meeting. Despite the threats, many LP lawmakers, including senators and members of the House of Representatives, showed up at the Usman-led meeting.
During the session, the NEC passed a vote of confidence on Obi, Baba-Ahmed, Otti, the Usman-led caretaker committee, and the Obidient movement. In her opening remarks, Usman appealed to “members of the former National Working Committee (NWC), to sheathe their swords and join in the process of rebuilding the party”.
She announced that the party would review its recent governorship primaries in Anambra State and make an official statement soon.
On Saturday, George Moghalu, former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), was declared winner of the LP primary held in Awka, the Anambra State capital. Meanwhile, Obi has said the party will no longer be a vehicle for opportunist politicians, to use and dump to other political parties after winning election.
The party’s presidential candidate also declared that Labour Party is a party for the future. Obi who is one of the leader’s of the party, said LP will be fair and just to everybody. “We want to go into the next election very fully weathered. What we will be offering Nigeria are the best of people and competent people for House of Assembly, for House of Reps, for Senate, for governorship, for any level of election.
“We want to correct even mistakes we made in the past, because there were mistakes, so we need to correct them. We are going to be sure that whoever wants to contest the House of Assembly now will be a Labour member not on transit,” he stated. According to Obi, discussion with any political party for coalition will be based on the Labour Party platform.
“We are the Labour Party. If we are going to discuss a coalition with any party, we will discuss it from our house, the Labour Party. It does not exclude anybody,” he said. He expressed disappointment at the attitude of Abure, the sacked National Chairman, and said any election of the party’s leadership should start from the ward level. “I believe in the court process. In this case the court has taken the right position.
The Labour Party won. The Labour Party will be the party of tomorrow. “Let’s do the right thing, by starting with ward congress,” he advised, adding, “It is better to fail doing right than do the wrong thing. “Nigeria is collapsing. People are becoming poorer; things are difficult.
Let’s start together to ensure that the right thing is done,” he advised. The former vice presidential candidate Senator Yusuf DatttiBaba Ahmed, regretted that the former ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has become a “detachment” of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He maintained that the ruling party is an “unconstitutional government”, and called on Nigerians to trust on the Labour Party to rescue the country from the moral decadence APC has put in the country.
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, advised members of the National Caretaker Committee to trigger the process that would entrench democratic structure in the party, starting with ward congresses and culminating in a national convention. “I’m sure that our experienced caretaker committee members will do the right thing at the appropriate time.
They are not interested in leading the party. All they are interested in is midwifing those that will lead the party. “We held a discussion and they don’t have any interest other than ensuring that our party remains strong,” the governor disclosed.
