The leadership of the Labour Party loyal to Julius Abure has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of persecuting members of its National Working Committee for defending the mandates of former presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti during the 2023 general elections.
At a press conference in Abuja, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, expressed disappointment in the actions of some party leaders. Instead of supporting the party during challenging times, Ifoh said, these leaders aligned with INEC, betraying the party’s trust.
Ifoh stated, “The party is deeply concerned by the conduct of some of our leaders, including our former presidential candidate and only governor, who should be standing with the party in these difficult moments. The Labour Party is facing tough times due to its role in supporting these leaders in the 2023 elections. Our leadership stood firmly behind Obi, campaigning tirelessly across the country for votes.”
He added, “Many Nigerians will recall that we supported these leaders when they were denied tickets by their previous parties. Some of those now calling for Julius Abure’s removal once begged for tickets and couldn’t even afford nomination forms.
“The same Labour Party leadership stood by our governorship candidate in Abia, overcoming numerous political and legal challenges to secure victory. Now, these leaders are siding with INEC. It’s a betrayal.”
This controversy comes as the party takes legal action against INEC to block recognition of the newly installed Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee.
Recently, INEC filed a counter-affidavit arguing that the tenure of the Abure-led executives had expired, justifying its decision to recognize the 29-member caretaker committee, which was supported by Obi, Otti, and other stakeholders.
Ifoh condemned the ‘illegal arrangement,’ asserting that the committee members were undemocratically selected. He also accused INEC of attempting to destabilize the party by taking sides and undermining its leadership.
He said, “As you know, the party has taken legal action against INEC for excluding us from the commission’s refresher training for party agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.”
INEC’s counter-affidavit also questioned the legitimacy of the Labour Party’s leadership and refused to recognize the party’s March 2024 National Convention.
Ifoh criticized the alignment of party leaders with INEC, stating, “It is surprising that those who were affected by INEC’s failures in the 2023 general election are now working with the commission against the party. These leaders are exploiting INEC’s position to take control of the party.”
He warned, “We advise these leaders not to look to INEC as a model for their takeover ambitions. The issues from 2023 are still fresh in our minds. We condemned INEC then, and now they are fraternizing with it. Where was this loyalty when INEC failed to safeguard the people’s will in 2023? Let’s not be deceived—INEC has not changed, and in 2027, they’ll serve the same result.”