By Sonnie Nwosu
The Labour Party national headquarters has vehemently rejected the pronouncements from the Umuahia Stakeholders holders meeting summoned by Gov. Alex Otti of Abia State, describing it as illegal and unconstitutional.
In a release signed by Obiora Ifor, National Publicity Secretary of the party in Abuja, Alex Otti and others who converged in Umuahia have no such powers within the party constitution, the Electoral Act and the Federal Republic of Nigeria constitution to convene any meeting of the party.
He asserted that expanded Stakeholders meeting is not an organ known to the party, moreover, article 11 of the party’s constitution 2024, 2019 and 2009 provides that there shall be 4 levels of the party namely: Ward, Local Government Area, State and National and that the structures shall also apply the family tie to the FCT, Abuja as if it were a State.
He also averred that similarly, Article 12 of the same constitution equally provides that the principal organs of the party are; National Convention, National Executive Council, National Working Committee, Board of trustees and State Congress. Others are same at the State level, Local government area and Ward levels, therefore the premise on which the governor called the meeting is not only faulty but not in tandem with the 2 provisions of the party’s constitution and also a waste of time and resources.
He added that there is no vacuum in the leadership of the party because there is no communication from INEC to the party as regards any objection to the conduct of the Nnewi National Convention of the party.
Finally, he revealed that the party executives were shocked to note that the announced chairman of the caretaker Committee is not a registered member of the party but was noticed during during Peter Obi’s presidential campaign as an assistant to the party’s flag bearer.