‘Umuahia NEC meeting was illegal’ — Abure-led LP rejects Nenadi Usman as interim chair

The Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) has rejected Nenadi Usman as the interim national chairman of the party.

Usman was elected at a national executive committee (NEC) meeting convened on Friday in Umuahia, the capital of Abia, by a rival faction of the LP, believed to be aligned with Alex Otti, governor of the state.

Darlington Nwokocha, a former senator representing Abia central, was also elected as interim national secretary of the party.

The appointments were part of the move by the faction to reconstitute the party’s leadership ahead of a national convention.

The newly constituted interim national working committee (NWC) is expected to oversee the affairs of the party until a new NEC is elected at the convention.

The development is the latest in a series of internal disputes that have fractured the opposition party since the 2023 general election, with multiple factions laying claim to its leadership.

Reacting in a statement signed by Umar Ibrahim, LP national secretary, the Abure-led faction described the NEC meeting as “illegal and inconsequential”.

“The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party has been drawn to yet another illegal gathering of some suspended members of the party parading themselves as members of the party’s National Executive Committee,” the statement reads.

“Ordinarily, we didn’t think we should make any comment as regards this perennial jamboree since the meeting and its outcome is inconsequential, null and void.”

Ibrahim said the LP constitution mandates that only the national secretary, in consultation with the national chairman, can convene a NEC meeting.

He cited Article 14(4)(b) and Article 13(B)(xii) to back the claim, saying the NEC also has exclusive powers to establish or appoint committees.

He described the NEC meeting in Umuahia, which produced a caretaker committee and ultimately led to Usman’s selection, as “unconstitutional and of no effect”.

“There has never been any vacancy in the leadership of the Labour Party, and there will not be any until 2028,” he said.

According to Ibrahim, the April 4, 2025, judgment of the supreme court affirmed the Abure-led leadership and reinforced the principle that internal disputes within political parties should be resolved without external interference.

He accused Otti of working against the party’s unity and alleged that key members of his faction had already abandoned him.

“Governor Otti is probably not aware that his flanks have been exposed, as the majority of his combatants and leaders have deserted him and moved on,” he said.

“He is probably living in ignorance and in the past. As we have advised him earlier, the coalition needs him more, and we think he should take our advice seriously.”

Ibrahim called on LP members to disregard the outcome of the NEC meeting and urged Otti to prioritise development in Abia rather than “chasing shadows”.

“We therefore denounce today’s meeting and call on the members of the party to ignore the outcome of the meeting,” he said.

“We also urge the governor to channel the Abia State resources to providing basic infrastructure for the good people of the state.”