The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has constituted a disciplinary committee in response to what it describes as the unwarranted and illegal interference by certain members in the party’s affairs.
National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, inaugurated the committee at the party’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday. This move followed a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) held on Monday, August 26. Abure accused Abia State Governor Alex Otti of masterminding a plot to destabilize the party.
According to a communique issued at the end of the NWC meeting, Abure criticized Governor Otti’s alleged plans to convene a National Executive Council meeting on August 31, aimed at dissolving the party’s National, State, Local Government, and Ward Executive Councils. Abure emphasized that such actions would be illegal, as the governor lacks the constitutional authority to undertake such measures under the Labour Party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
Abure further dismissed claims by Governor Otti and others that the NWC’s tenure had expired, pointing out that a National Convention was held in March 2024 in Nnewi, Anambra State, where he was duly elected as National Chairman. The convention, he noted, was attended by representatives of the Abia State government, including the governor’s deputy and other key officials.
The communique stressed that the Labour Party’s National Convention was conducted in accordance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and the Labour Party Constitution. Article 14 of the Labour Party Constitution stipulates that only the National Chairman and National Secretary have the authority to convene meetings of the NWC, National Executive Committee, and National Convention.
The newly established disciplinary committee is chaired by the party’s Legal Adviser, Barrister Kehinde Edun, with National Secretary Umar Farouk-Ibrabim serving as committee secretary. Other members include Chief Clement Ojukwu, Deputy National Chairman; Dr. Ayo Olorunfemi, Deputy National Chairman; Dudu M. Manuga, National Women Leader; and Barrister Callistus Ihejiagwa, Chairman of the Imo State chapter.
