Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the last general election, Mr. Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Mr. Alex Otti, have formally notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the establishment of a 29-member caretaker committee.
This committee is tasked with organizing the party’s congresses and national convention within a 180-day period.
The letter dated September 6, 2024, and addressed to INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu, details the recent developments within the party. It highlights the leadership crisis that led to the de-recognition of the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) by INEC, effective June 2024. This decision was based on a settlement brokered by INEC on June 27, 2022, which was founded on a 2018 court judgment by Justice Gabriel Kolawole.
According to the letter, the Abure-led NWC organized a convention at Nnewi in March 2024 without conducting the necessary ward, local government, and state congresses, which was contrary to the terms of the settlement. This oversight created a leadership vacuum and depleted the National Executive Committee membership, leaving fewer than 10 members.
In response, a stakeholders’ meeting was convened in Umuahia, Abia State, on September 4, 2024. This meeting included statutory executives of the party, legislators, surviving NEC members, leaders of organized labour, and other key party stakeholders. The meeting resulted in the formation of a caretaker committee to fill the leadership vacuum and organize the necessary congresses and national convention.
The caretaker committee is headed by Senator Nenadi Usman as Chairman and Senator Darlington Nwokocha as Secretary. Other members include representatives from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Senate, House of Representatives, former governorship candidates, and members of state Houses of Assembly.
The letter lists the full composition of the caretaker committee, which includes notable figures such as Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, Senators Victor Umeh and Ireti Kingibe, Hon. Afam Ogene, and former governorship candidates like Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Jonathan Asake.
This move by Obi and Otti aims to stabilize the party and ensure compliance with electoral regulations, thereby paving the way for a more cohesive and legally recognized leadership structure within the Labour Party.
