‘There Is No Vacuum In The Leadership Of Labour Party’ – Abure

The leadership crisis within the Labour Party (LP) deepened on Monday as the National Chairman, Julius Abure, strongly rejected claims that a vacuum existed in the party’s leadership.

Speaking at the ongoing National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the party’s National Secretariat in Utako, Abuja, Abure declared that any such assertion was a “nullity.”

“There is no vacuum in the leadership of the Labour Party. The Supreme Court judgment did not say the tenure of the current National Working Committee (NWC) under my leadership has expired,” Abure stated, refuting claims made by rival factions within the party.

He further described the so-called National Caretaker Committee as “an illegal body unknown to any law guiding the Labour Party.”

Abure continued, “What happened in Umuahia, Abia State, was not a NEC meeting; as such, the so-called caretaker committee is an illegal entity. The purported caretaker committee is just a meddlesome interloper whose sole purpose is to destroy our party.”

While Abure stood firm on his position, the Obi/Otti faction of the Labour Party has scheduled its own NEC meeting for Wednesday, April 9th, in Abuja.

A statement issued by the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR) outlined that the meeting would be followed by a Town Hall Engagement with key stakeholders at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel.

According to Ibrahim Umar, the spokesperson for the POMR, the meeting was an important follow-up to the Supreme Court ruling that effectively ended Abure’s tenure.

The statement emphasized the broad representation expected at the meeting, which would include the vice-presidential candidate for the 2023 election, serving and former senators, as well as members of the House of Representatives.

The POMR’s statement also highlighted the attendees set to participate in the meeting, which will include members of the National Caretaker Committee, former governorship candidates, and representatives from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) Political Commission.