Don’t meddle in Labour Party crisis, INEC warned

The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has been warned to remain impartial in the leadership crisis that embroils the Labour Party.

Innocent Odoh, Special Media Assistant to the National Chairman Dr. Mike Omotosho said the electoral body should not mislead members of the public by dealing with unrecognised leader in its relation with the party.

In a statement made available to the Daily Times, he said INEC should stop recognising Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam as the national chairman of the party, as doing so amounts to an offence on the democratic sensibilities of the Nigerian public and being partisan.

Reacting to last Thursday’s recognition given Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam as the “authentic” National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) by INEC, the party claimed that Abdulsalam was a former chairman who has been discredited and rejected by the legally constituted National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for fraudulent activities.

He said with the recognition, INEC has emboldened Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam to continue to parade himself illegally as the national chairman of Labour Party, despite his removal and the election of Dr. Omotosho as authentic chairman.

“To put the records straight, the Labour Party had in the build up to the 2015 elections, raked in a whopping N1,344,047,000 (N1.3 billion) from the sales of expression of interest forms and nomination forms to aspirants. But by December 2015, only N25, 000 was left in the party’s account as he (Abdulsalam) failed to give cogent explanation about expenditure of the party.

“The NWC, which felt dissatisfied with him suspended and finally removed him as the party’s national chairman following his refusal to appear before a disciplinary committee set up by the NWC of the party to investigate the fraud and embezzlement of over N1.3 billion party funds.

“Therefore the NWC on October 3, 2017, in accordance with the provisions of the party constitution, convoked a special national convention in Abuja. INEC was officially informed of the convention by the party’s leadership and it sent a monitoring team that included Mr. Shehu Wahab (DD), Mr. Oni Jerome Omowaye (AD), and Barrister Umar Akeje Esq. (PLO) to monitor the convention and submit a report on it.

“During that special convention, Dr. Omotosho, was duly elected as the new national chairman of the Labour Party and given the mandate to lead a new National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. But it is disturbing that about seven months after a change of leadership was effected in the party, INEC has refused to update its records and website with the name of Omotosho, the new national chairman.

“Article 13(B) of the Constitution of the Labour Party, stipulates that the National Convention is the highest decision-making organ of the party. Therefore INEC’s deliberate attempt to disregard the election of Omotosho and its obstinate refusal to ratify an election held by the National Convention of the party in the presence of INEC’s representatives’ smacks of illegality, which we believe is shrouded in treachery”, the statement read.

Stressing further, he said last month, the state chapters of the party under the aegis of the Forum of State Chairmen met in Abuja and were unanimous in their decision to compel INEC to henceforth recognise and deal only with Dr. Mike Omotosho on issues relating to the party as the duly elected national chairman of the Labour Party.

“The forum, in a communique issued at the end of the meeting, registered their displeasure that INEC, has failed to fully abide by the overwhelming decision of the convention.

“It must be stated categorically that the Labour Party is not unmindful of the ill-fated activities of some self-styled politicians, especially former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, who had plotted assiduously to hijack the instruments of the party for persons gains, and we have no doubts about the moves of the former Ondo governor to liaise with the INEC to destablise the party.

“The position of INEC in this saga forebodes threat to democracy as the commission has refused to obey the rule of law and dangerously playing into the hands of some vested interests to create a leadership crisis in order to hijack the party.

“We wish to advise and at the same time warn INEC to desist from this unscrupulous path in order not to truncate our democracy, which by the grace of God will next year celebrate its 20 -year lifespan.

He was optimistic that the national leadership of the Labour Party under Dr. Omotosho, all state chapters and committed members of the party are confident that Labour Party will take all necessary legal measures within its disposal to forestall any unconstitutional maneuvers to truncate our duly elected leadership.

Inability to get INEC officials to react notwithstanding, it was gathered that the commission based its claim in recognising Abdulsalam on a letter, INEC/LEG/PP/14/T/7 dated April 10, 2018 in a response to complaint by a legal firm, Afolabi Fashanu & Co apparently drawing the attention of the Commission to the activities of Dr. Mike Omotosho, who is parading himself as the National Chairman of the party.

INEC claimed that since the party has not replaced Abdulsalam in its website, he remains the recognized chairman of the party.