LABOUR PARTY DISOWNS “ILLEGAL NEC” MEETING, DECLARES GOVERNOR OTTI ABANDONED AND ISOLATED

LABOUR PARTY DISOWNS “ILLEGAL NEC” MEETING, DECLARES GOVERNOR OTTI ABANDONED AND ISOLATED

The national leadership of the Labour Party has strongly condemned an "unauthorized and illegal" gathering of individuals it describes as suspended members of the party falsely claiming to be the National Executive Committee (NEC).

In a statement issued on Friday by the National Secretary of the Labour Party, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, the party dismissed the gathering as a "perennial jamboree" with no constitutional backing or relevance, stressing that its outcome is “inconsequential, null and void.”

Citing the party’s constitution, the statement emphasized that only the National Secretary, in consultation with the National Chairman, is empowered to convene a NEC meeting a responsibility that, according to the party, was not followed in this instance.

"Article 14(4)(b) of our constitution clearly states that only the National Secretary in consultation with the National Chairman can convene a NEC or other national meeting," the statement noted. “Furthermore, Article 13(B)(xii) vests in the NEC the exclusive authority to establish committees and appoint their members. Anything done outside this structure is illegal.”

The statement directly calls out Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, accusing him of backing the illegitimate meeting held in Umuahia and of seeking to impose a caretaker committee on the party a move the leadership insists is unconstitutional.

“There has never been a vacancy in the leadership of the Labour Party, and there will not be any until 2028. Any attempt to suggest otherwise is political mischief,” the party declared.

Reiterating the authority of the party's current leadership, the statement pointed to the April 4, 2025 judgment of the Supreme Court, which it said reaffirmed Barr. Julius Abure as the authentic National Chairman and upheld the principle of internal party supremacy in resolving disputes.

“Dr. Otti and his co-travellers must come to terms with the fact that the train has moved on. Most of his supporters have abandoned him, leaving him politically isolated,” the party said.

In a sharp rebuke, the party accused Governor Otti of misusing Abia State’s public funds to advance personal political goals and advised him to focus instead on governance and development.

“We urge Governor Otti to prioritize basic infrastructure and the welfare of the people of Abia State rather than chasing shadows and squandering public resources on internal party politics,” the statement concluded.

The Labour Party, therefore, disassociated itself from the outcome of the so-called NEC meeting, warning members and the public to disregard it entirely.