Abure’s supreme court sack will stabilize, reinvent party says LP Reps caucus
By Msugh Ityokura
The Labour Party, LP caucus in the House of Representatives has hailed the supreme court’s judgment that removed Julius Abure as national chairman of the party saying the development will stabilize and reinvent the party
The ruling according to the caucus serves as a warning to leaders who play ‘god’ in a democracy, where the people ought to hold the ultimate authority.
Leader of the caucus, Afam Victor Ogene, in a statement shortly after the Supreme Court pronouncement, Friday, in Abuja described the development as a “veritable tonic for the revitalization of the party” that has been engulfed by leadership tussle in recent times
He thanked the apex court for the decisive judgment that has offered the party a new lease of life.
The apex court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which recognized Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
In a unanimous judgment, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to pronounce Abure as the National Chairman of the LP, having earlier determined that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.
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Hon. Ogene stated that, following this clear-cut judgment, the Labour Party will hasten to implement necessary mechanisms to restore internal peace and get the party back on track in order to reassure its teeming members of the party’s viability for future elections and its commitment to leadership that prioritizes the interests and welfare of the people
“In fact, by next week, we expect the National Caretaker Committee, NCC led by respected former Minister of Finance, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, to convene an all-inclusive stakeholders meeting to chart the way forward” he said
The lawmaker emphasized that the party’s leadership crisis could have been prevented if the ousted chairman and his team heeded the Caucus’ advice, or addressed the concerns of other stakeholders
These stakeholders, Ogene stated, had urged caution and greater sensitivity in managing the party’s affairs. “But in a brazen display of arrogance and naked power-mongering, Abure had ignored these warnings, thus creating an environment for crisis to fester
“For instance, in March 2024, LP Reps called for the postponement of the National Convention of the party scheduled to take place by the end of that month, in order to allow for further consultations in the light of the party’s lingering leadership skirmishes” he.said
According to the lawmaker, the caucus had emphasized at the time that the party’s health and sustainability were paramount, given its internal conflicts and as direct representatives of the people, they felt the party needed time to resolve its leadership issues and operational problems before holding a potentially divisive convention.
“But rather than heed that patriotic call the party leadership proceeded to unleash tirades against them, abusing them in the media and threatening that they would be denied the party tickets for re-election in 2027. That was not only insensitive but undemocratic and disrespectful to the caucus, whose only concern was the peace, unity, sustainability and progress of the party.
“It is this uncertainty of not being sure of getting party ticket in the next general elections that has made the caucus to lose as much as six members” in the House Ogene stated
