A Labour Party chieftain, Yunusa Tanko, has stated that only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can determine the legality of the recent involvement of Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and Peter Obi in the party’s affairs.
Governor Otti and Obi, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, were involved in forming a 29-member caretaker committee to lead the party on an interim basis. The committee is chaired by former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman.
When asked about the legality of this intervention during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Tanko emphasized that INEC is the only authority that can make such a determination.
“It is left for INEC to look at the legality and make pronouncement. So, I have nothing to do with that at the moment because they are the electoral umpire. They know what the law says, it is better for them to make the pronouncement,” Tanko said.
Former Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, was appointed Secretary of the committee, which, according to party leaders present at the meeting convened by Governor Otti, will oversee the election of new leadership within 90 days.
The committee also includes representatives from various interest groups, such as the NLC, TUC, Senate, House of Representatives, House of Assembly, and gubernatorial candidates from the last election.
However, the Julius Abure-led leadership of the Labour Party rejected the committee, declaring the meeting organized by Otti as illegal and urging Nigerians to disregard its outcome.
In a statement signed by the party’s publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, it was emphasized that the meeting was not authorized by the party and, therefore, does not represent its stance or interests.
The Abure camp also expressed shockthat “the so-called chairman of the caretaker committee is not a registered member of the Party. She surfaced during the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign to assist Peter Obi in his campaign.”