The Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, at the National Assembly, Victor Umeh has bemoaned the leadership tussle in the the Labour Party (LP).
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, Umeh stated that currently Labour Party has no leadership.
The lawmaker, and chieftain of the LP, disclosed this while reacting to questions concerning the crisis in the party.
Recall that last Wednesday, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi and other critical stakeholders led by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State appointed a national caretaker committee.
The former Minister of Finance and Senator, Nenadi Usman was appointed to led the Committee. They are charged to recreate the political platform.
Recall that LP have since the 2023 presidential election been enmeshed in leadership crisis. The crisis in the party took a dangerous dimension following the controversial national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State. The convention was convened by the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee, NWC, with the support of Peter Obi.
With the crisis festering, the sole Labour Party Governor of Abia State, Otti and the national leader of the party, Obi, decided to take arrest the situation. They summoned an enlarged National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party in Umuahia where a far-reaching decision was made to give direction to the party.
At the Umuahia stakeholders meeting, a former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman, was nominated to head an interim National Working Committee (NWC). The Committee was given a 90-day mandate to organize congresses at all levels of the party. They are also to organize a national convention to elect substantive officers of the party.
However, a factional acting Chairman of the Party, Callistus Uju Okafor, has rejected the appointments.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Okafor described the LP stakeholders’ meeting as illegal, unconstitutional and a jamboree.
Okafor urged Nigerians to know that the meeting that produced Senator Usman as the interim National Chairman of the party was null and void.
In the light, the Abure’s group has since rejected the meeting, describing it is illegal and of no effect.
Reacting the drama in the leadership tussle, Senator Umeh said there was no leadership in place in LP. He, therefore, stressed that it was the duty of members to take control of the party.
He said, “People who are asking this question do not understand that when you don’t have a legitimate Executive Committee in charge of their party, the issue of whether the Constitution is followed or not will become unnecessary. We don’t have a legitimate Executive Committee for now.
“Those who are claiming to have the powers to do so, have not told Nigerians that their tenure in office has since expired as a result of exhaustion of time. And because they didn’t do what they were supposed to do to bring in a succeeding leadership in the party. The party is right now without leadership.
“There must be a Chairman of the party legitimately before you begin to complain about infractions on the Constitution. Those who are raising these questions do not understand that they are no longer in place. And if you are not in place, nature abhors a vacuum,” Umeh said.
Umeh also defended the stakeholders meeting in Abia. He noted that the party people could come together to decide to create a new leadership. This is in the situation where there is no leadership in place.
However, as the leadership tussle unfolds in LP, Nigerians are watching. This is even as the 2027 general election is gathering momentum.
source: Daily Trust
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