Julius Abure, the embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has dismissed the caretaker committee’s intention, led by Nenadi Usman, to appeal a recent court ruling that upheld his leadership.
Last week, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled in favor of Abure, validating the national convention that reinstated him and his National Working Committee (NWC) into office.
Despite this, the Usman-led caretaker committee convened with the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, along with Abia State Governor Alex Otti, and decided to take their grievances to the Appeal Court against Abure.
In an interview on Sunday, Obiora Ifoh, the National Publicity Secretary aligned with Abure, asserted that the 29-member caretaker committee is not recognized by law, and therefore lacks the standing to contest the court’s decision affirming Abure’s leadership.
Ifoh emphasized that the NWC remains unfazed by the committee’s threat to appeal. He pointed out that neither Obi nor the caretaker committee was officially part of the legal proceedings in question.
“It would be a mistake for them to pursue this appeal because you cannot contest a judgment in which you have no standing. The caretaker committee is not recognized by the Labour Party constitution, nor by electoral law or the Nigerian Constitution. Therefore, they lack the necessary standing to appeal,” he stated.
He further explained that the caretaker group was not involved in the original case, which was between the Labour Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). “Nigerian law clearly states that if you are not a party to a case, you cannot appeal the ruling. They may consider initiating a new lawsuit, but their current name lacks legal recognition,” Ifoh added.
Ifoh concluded by affirming that the Labour Party has faced its share of crises, all of which have been resolved in the party’s best interest.
“If anyone is dissatisfied with the leadership, they will need to wait until the term concludes in four years. Julius Abure’s leadership is set to last until 2028, as dictated by the law,” he remarked.
