Labour Party leadership tussle: INEC accused of taking sides

The Nigerian Labour party under the leadership of Chief Mike Omotoso, has again pointed accusing finger on the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) on siding Alhaji Salam led factional Labour party, stating that such is against court judgment over the leadership Tussle.

The leadership in a press briefing Tuesday in Abuja, posited that the Mamoud Yakub led INEC has something to hide, having rejected court judgement obtained over the leadership imbroglio, which would have cemented the relationship between the warring parties.

According to the National publicity Secretary to the Mike Omotoso led Labour party, Barrister Ebere Ifendu, said that “the party is aware of the former National Chairman of Labour Party, Alhaji A A Salam, on the 9th, October 2019, who gathered some miscreants in Minna, Niger State, his home State and told the world that he was holding the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Labour Party”

Further speaking, Barrister Elendu stated that Article 13 (2) A, explicitly spells out the composition of the Party’s National Executive Councils Members.

“Among the persons on the lists are the Presidents and General Secretaries of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

None of these constitutional members of the organ were in attendance nor represented. That clearly shows that the purported NEC meeting has nothing to do with Labour Party whatsoever.

On the 2nd October, 2018, INEC had written to the Party to comply with the Order of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court to conduct an all-inclusive National Convention involving all Parties covered by the terms of settlement filed on 14th March, 2018 (letter attached).

The letter is very explicit on the action to take, elongation of tenure and suspension of National Working Committee Members are not part of the order of the Court”.

The embattled Mike Omotoso led Labour party, pointed out that of great concern to the party, is the fact that Alhaji Salam claimed to have suspended 8 members of the National Working Committee. “The purported suspension of the 8 NWC members is only a fiction of A. A. Salam’s wildest imagination.

No responsible person can gather non-party members and claim to have sacked NWC Members and at the same time prolong his own tenure, knowing full well that it has ended on the 10th October 2018.

With the end of the tenure of this executive and the compliance of the above mentioned court order, the Labour Party does not have a National working committee in place. This clearly means that any nomination of candidate done by the party after 11th October 2018 is null and void and it will be in contempt of the court order.

We want to also use this medium to warn INEC, especially the Chairman Prof Mahmoud Yakubu and Mrs. Babalola director Legal to desist from conniving with Salam and the acting Secretary, Julius Abure as we will no longer tolerate their unnecessary and biased interference in Labour Party affairs”.

The party however, noted that a 7-man committee is being constituted to oversee the activities of the Party and midwife the all-inclusive Convention in accordance with the court order. It is expected that all this will be concluded within 30 days.

It also enjoined all party members to be steadfastness during this trial. It also called on the general to disregard the purported suspension of 8 members of the national working committee, as they have no power to do so.