A faction of the Labour Party (LP) led by Lamidi Bashir Apapa has announced pardon for the party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, his running mate, Yusuf Datti-Ahmed, and other top leaders of the party for attending a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Asaba, Delta State, convened by the embattled chairman, Julius Abure.
Those pardoned alongside Obi are Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, Mrs. Ladi Illiya, Dr. Ayo Olorunfemi, Chief Innocent Okeke Agumba, Mrs. Dudu Manuga Datti-Ahmed and Abia State governor-elect, Mr Alex Otti.
The decsion to pardon them was taken at the faction’s NEC meeting in Bauchi yesterday.
The LP leaders at the meeting appealed to the judiciary to be on the part of the people by promoting acts that enhance democracy, rule of law, and fundamental human rights.
The LP faction said it believed in she rule of law, and would continue to stand with its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to successfully reclaim its stolen mandate at the presidential election petitions tribunal, adding that it would not be a party to any unlawful act to cause a change of democratic administration as anticipated by its ‘uspended’ national chairman, Julius Abure, and his cohorts.
The Labour Party faction, in a communique after the Bauchi meeting, said it rejected the attempted conversion of the party to a one-man show or regional political party by the suspended national.
The meeting sympathised with Nigerians who, the party noted, had continued to wallow in poverty, hunger, unemployment, insecurity, poor infrastructure and underdevelopment inflicted by leadership incompetence.
It reassured Nigerians that the imminent Labour Party-led federal government, when in place after the presidential election petition tribunal mandate recovery, shall change these ugly narratives for the best.
The meeting reviewed the alleged anti-party activities of some members and reaffirmed and upheld the decision of the Ogun state executive of Labour Party that earlier expelled Mr. Kehinde Shogunle, Engr. Akinpelu Shogunle, Engr. Lukmon Jagun Abiodun, Mr. Tokunbo Peters, and Bukola Shoyooye.
Also expelled by Ogun Exco are Barr. Oluwafemi Ibiayo, Feson Gbadebo, Dayo Folarin, Adeshina Shojobi, Bamjoko Ajekpe, Tuned Taiwo, Olatunde Abolade, Abosede Lamidi, Malik Olaleye, Adesegun Banmodu, Rev. Olufolabi Adebayo, over their failure to pay memberships dues for over six months thus contravening Articles 9 (3) of LP constitution 2019 as amended and thus forfeited their membership.
The Bauchi NEC meeting similarly suspended some National Working Committee (NWC) members over their contempt of the FCT High Court restraining order by participating the illegal NEC meeting convened by Abure on 18th April, 2023 in Asaba Delta State and recommended them for disciplinary committees on fraudulent and anti-party activities over the illegal governorship primaries in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states conducted on 15th April, 2023.
The Labour Party NEC meeting evaluated the 2023 elections with a belief for room for improvement over the irregularities and network glitches noticed during presidential and national elections over the states’ elections in the 2023 general elections.
The meeting of the party was attended by members of the national working committee (NWC), State Chairmen, State Secretaries, National Assembly members-elect, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Unions Congress (TUC).
The Labour Party (LP) has described as null and void the purported national executive council meeting of the party held in Asaba Delta State on 18th April, 2023, saying the meeting was inconsistent with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court Order restraining the suspended national chairman, Julius Abure from parading himself in that capacity.
Describing the Asaba meeting as illegal is the Acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Lamidi Bashiru Apapa at the NEC meeting of the party in Bauchi Wednesday where he said that other national officers were also barred from parading themselves with the party.
They were the national secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim; national organizing secretary, Ojukwu Clement and the national treasurer, Mrs. Oluchi Opara whom the Nigeria Police Investigation and Forensic Audit report of the petition instituted by the Ebonyi state gubernatorial candidate Oko Eze saw to the indictment of the four officers.
The four national officers were indicted of forgery, perjury and criminal conspiracy with financial malfeasance to the sum of N400, 000, 000 for which a CTC of the investigation report was obtained that the FCT High Court has on 5th April, 2023 subsequently restrained them from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Apapa had earlier recalled that on 2nd April, 2023, the NWC ratified Barrister Julius Abure’s suspension following his ward executives ‘suspension from the party in the case of criminal infractions against him.
He said members of the party’s NWC are expected to present their working programmes for adoption in line with the policy trust and direction of the party for implementation.
The acting national chairman said: “NEC meeting is aimed at deliberating on critical issues of national importance; and to drawing far reaching resolutions that shall nib in the bud, certain disturbing issues that have become of immense concerns to us as political party, to put our dear party on the path of political stability, peace, progress and prosperity.
He said, “That the FCT High Court subsequently restrained Julius Abure, the national Secretary, Alh Umar Farouk Ibrahim, Ojukwu Clement, national organising secretary and Mrs Oluchi Okpara National Treasurer from parading themselves as national officers of the Labour Party on 5th April, 2023 and sequel to an earlier ward Exco suspension of Julius Abure on 31st March, 2023.
“That on 1st April, 2023, the NWC received the report of the ward Exco Suspension of Barr Julius Abure as member of the party due to so many infractions against him with particular reference to the FCID police Investigation Indictment by the Edo state ward and the NWC deliberated, ratified and adopted the ward exco suspension on 2nd April, 2023 by appointing an acting national chairman Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa.”
