Nenadi Usman, caretaker committee chairperson of the Labour Party (LP), has dared Julius Abure over his threat to expose Peter Obi, Alex Otti and other high-ranking members of her faction.
She made the statement while speaking to journalists on Friday.
Recall that on Monday, Abure, factional national chairman of the LP, challenged Obi and Otti to name party members who received funds for the 2023 election.
Usman said Abure should make good his threat without further ado.
“Well, I am challenging him to expose us. If you have anybody to expose, you don’t go and talk now, you go and expose them,” she said.
She said the LP has records of Abure’s conduct and that some of his actions are already the subject of police investigations.
“We have a lot of things about him and that is why the people whom he did it to went to the police,” she added.
“The police are investigating him and very soon you will hear about it.”
Usman described the current crisis in the LP as an attack on internal democracy.
“Generally, you would agree with me that every democracy needs to have a vibrant opposition,” she said.
“So when the opposition wants to become part of the ruling party, then there’s a problem. And that is where we are today.”
She said Abure’s tenure as LP national chairman had elapsed and that the party had moved to resolve the leadership vacuum in line with the directive of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Principally, the Labour Party leadership at some point had issues with INEC because the tenure of Abure and his NWC had come to an end,” she said.
“Which was why when INEC invited leaders of political parties, he attended the meeting and was told to step out with his secretary.”
Usman recalled that after the INEC incident, Abure went to court and secured a ruling ordering INEC to recognize him.
“We, of course, appealed. Even at the court of appeal, judgment was still given in his favour that INEC should recognize him,” she said.
She said Abure’s name on the INEC website remains listed “by court order”, contrary to the democratic requirement for leaders to emerge through election.
Usman said the supreme court later ruled that the lower courts lacked jurisdiction to declare Abure chairman.
“They said his tenure was over, he is not the chairman, he’s no longer the chairman of the Labour Party.”
According to her, Justice Inyang Okoro, who read the judgment, cautioned political leaders against holding onto power after their tenure.
She said INEC’s directive was clear — the party needed to conduct fresh congresses from the ward to the national level.
Usman said the national executive committee (NEC) of the party then decided to put together a caretaker committee to oversee the process of electing new leaders.
She said Abure could still contest in a fresh election if he wants to lead the party again, accusing him of trying to cling to power through the courts.
“But he doesn’t want to go through election — his NWC, they don’t want to go through election.
“They just want to be using the courts to remain as leaders. I think that’s not good for opposition.”
The Cable
