Abure’s Court Case Cannot Distract Us – Abia Labour Party

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Abia State Chapter of the Labour Party, LP, has rejected suggestions of any manipulations and Impositions of candidates ahead of the forthcoming Local Council Polls in the State.

The party’s denial is coming on the heels of agitations from some quarters alleging that Governor Alex Otti, in concert with LP top hierarchy in the State imposed his cronies and perceived loyalists as LP candidates for the November 2, 2024 election.

In an interview with this Magazine on Friday October 11, Organizing Secretary, Engr Darlington Enyinnaya, said the party  was  guided purely by the demands of fairness, justice ,as well as wide consultations in the process of conducting its primaries.

“It is a  known fact that propaganda and gossip are parts of the ingredients of democracy. People are free to say their minds .

“But the fact here as far as our party’s primaries were concerned is that the Governor never interfered  with the process as some people are alleging.

:Even me the Organizing Secretary, I must say that none of the candidates that emerged from the Chairmanship position to that of the Councilorship is known, and/or related to me in person.

“The party simply set out its rules for the exercise and followed them to the letter. This was  because we felt that the only way  to ensure unity and cohesion within the party was to adhere strictly to the extant rules and regulations guiding the exercise.

“In doing this ,we also made wide consultations from the ward to the council level with a view to factoring the peculiarities of some communities .

“At the end of the day, we were convinced that we had done our best in carrying everybody alone. But ,as you know in politics ,there is no way you will stop those who  have lost out not to criticise the process.

“The people who did not have their way, will always complain. But the most important thing is for people ,be it the Governor, Party leaders and any other persons to have a clear conscience about what have been done.”

Engr Enyinnaya insisted that the LP in the state, in the aftermath of the Local Government Primaries remain a strong and united force.

This is even as he maintained that the ongoing leadership crisis in the party will neither negatively affect its fortunes in the scheduled Council polls nor undermine the efforts of the administration in the state to deliver on its mandate to the people.

The Source reports that a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday October 9  ruled to recognize the Julius Abure led National Working Committee NWC as the party’s authentic leadership.

The leadership had emerged from the controversial Nnewi Convention earlier in the year which was, however, boycotted by many stakeholders including Peter Obi, its Presidential Candidate in the 2023 election, his running mate Datti Ahmed and Dr  Otti, its only elected Governor.

However ,on September 4, 2024 ,Governor Otti, convened an enlarged stakeholders meeting in Umuahia ,the Abia state capital, at which a Caretaker leadership was  enthroned.

The 29 member Interim NWC led by former Finance Minister, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman was given 90 days within which to organize an all inclusive national Convention for the party .

The Abure-led NWC has since  rejected  the move, insisting on the sanctity of the outcome of the Nnewi Convention.

In the countdown to the Abia State Local Government Election, the Abure faction, led by the National Vice Chairman South East ,Ceekay Igara ,last week submitted a rival list of candidates to the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission ABSIEC for the election.

But the Esther Usman-led leadership of the party, has warned the public and the ABSIEC to be wary of the antics of the Abure-led faction of the party.

Engr Enyinnaya, while speaking with The Source dismissed the chances of the leadership tussle derailing their focus.

“While the party has appealed the Abuja High Court Judgment, let me add that there is no party today in Nigeria that is not facing one crisis or the other .

“So there is nothing extraordinary about the leadership crisis in LP and I believe that it will not negatively affect our direction and focus .Rather in the end ,we will emerge even stronger”, the Organizing Secretary noted .