Obi, Otti Lead LP Members To INEC HQ, Make Demands

Labour Party (LP) leaders marched to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja on Wednesday, urging the electoral body to officially recognize Senator Esther Nenadi Usman as the legitimate chairman of the party.

Led by the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, the LP delegation was received by INEC National Commissioner, Sam Olumekun.

The leaders presented their case, asking INEC to take formal steps to acknowledge Usman’s leadership in light of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling.

Naija News reports that this move comes after the Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment delivered last week Friday, set aside the earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal, which had recognized Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the LP.

The apex court’s five-member panel ruled that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to declare Abure as chairman, deeming the matter an internal party issue.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court allowed the appeal filed by Senator Esther Usman and another party member, declaring it meritorious. The court dismissed the cross-appeal filed by Abure’s faction of the LP, deeming it unmeritorious.

The judgment came as a significant legal victory for Usman’s faction, further cementing their control over the party’s leadership.

The LP leaders, led by Obi and Otti, are now seeking INEC’s formal recognition of this decision and Usman’s rightful position as party chairman.