There is an unexpected embarrassment on the Senator Nenadi Usman led Labour Party Caretaker Committee recently constituted by Dr Alex otti and Mr Peter Obi. According to reports on Thursday, the committee is facing legitimacy huddle as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC refused to grant them the recognition they anticipated as they had applied, more than two weeks after its emergence.
The committee had its inaugural meeting late night on Tuesday after it waited desperately and in vain for INEC to consider to its request, which coincidentally became frustrated to the committee after it was asked to abide by the constitutional provisions of the party or wait for the outcome of the suit which is before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
An online newspaper report has it that a member of the Committee who spoke under the condition of anonymity said that INEC has not acted officially on the committee’s request after it submitted the letter requesting recognition on September 6. The source also said that the Committee is facing a brick wall as the electoral body has insisted that the process the committee took was unconstitutional and cannot be defended.
“Though INEC urged on the Stakeholders, believing that peace will return to the party if they were able to persuade Abure or any member of the National Working Committee to attend the Umuahia meeting. This to INEC will give the meeting some form of legitimacy but unfortunately, no member of the NWC showed up at the Umuahia meeting. Their absence defeated the whole aim and INEC’s arms were tied.
“The first letter for recognition was sent on the 6th of September. That letter was rejected because while the Abia Governor, Alex Otti appended his signature on the letter, someone however signed on behalf of Peter Obi. The INEC officials insisted that there will not be a proxy endorsement. Another letter was sent two days later with appropriate signatures, yet the letter was neither treated nor honoured.”
Other sources also confirmed that the Caretaker Committee out of desperation having not received the expected response from INEC, approached a state High Court in Aba, Abia state to seek for an injunction to restrain Abure led executive from parading itself as the authentic officers of the party. The court denied the order while insisting on interlocutory process. The matter however came up for hearing on Tuesday but again the Judge declined to continue with case choosing to return the case file to the Chief Judge of Abia State for reassignment.
Investigation has it that the Nenadi Usman and her Committee members had assembled in Abuja on Tuesday to roll the drums while desperately waiting for the Aba judgement which they had hoped will go their way. The inability of the Aba court to grant them their wishes disorganized their well planned inauguration which eventually held at 8 pm. Presently, the committee is loosing steam as it is being forced to wait until the Federal High Court rules on the matter before it.
The Governor of Abia State Dr Alex Otti and the former Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi had on September 4, inaugurated a 29 member Caretaker committee, in Umuahia during a Labour Party Special Stakeholders meeting convened by the Abia state governor, Dr Alex Otti, where the former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman was appointed the chairperson, the Immediate-past Senate Minority Deputy Whip, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, was also appointed to serve as Secretary.
The committee were mandated to organise an election of a new leadership of the party within the next 90 days. The Terms of Reference of the Committee include, ensuring the conduct of Ward, Local Government, State Congresses and National Convention as soon as possible and in accordance with the Constitution of the Labour Party.
Obiorah Ifoh, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, has reacted severely on the purported stakeholders meeting who said the party does not recognize the Caretaker Committee. He called on the party members to see the Committee as destabilizing agents that must not be given a chance to wreck havoc in the party.
He said, “Our party is intact and we will not allow visitors to chase out of the house we laboured to build. Some of them are barely one year old and now they are positioning themselves, their kin and kits to take over the party. The party is run by a constitution and anything unconstitutional will not be accepted.”
