Leaders of the Labour Party claim Peter Obi used them for the ‘Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo’ dance, expressing frustration over the incident. Get the details here

The Labour Party’s (LP) leadership has alleged that Peter Obi, their chosen presidential candidate for 2023, is exploiting the party with a deceptive “gwo gwo gwo ngwo” dance.

According to the LP leaders, hidden maneuvers by Obi and Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti in recent events within the party are an attempt to gain control of its leadership.

According to a statement released by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, there are allegations that Obi and Otti are utilizing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in pursuit of their goals.

The leaders voiced their displeasure at being exploited by the pair, alleging that they aimed to take over control of the party following their advantage gained from its foundation.

Over the past few days, there has been a flood of media coverage regarding INEC’s counter affidavit asserting that the current executives have exceeded their tenure. This was meant to validate the dishonorable and alleged Umuahia stakeholders meeting where a caretaker committee was established.

A few weeks ago, a stakeholders meeting was held in Umuahia by His Excellencies Peter Obi and Alex Otti. It has been deemed illegal due to their undemocratic manner of handpicking certain individuals as the leaders of their party’s faction under a 29-member caretaker committee consisting mostly of their cronies. Following this incident, on September 6th, 2024; they wrote to the INEC notifying them about an alleged leadership crisis within the party which did not exist at all.

Their decision was based on INEC’s knowledge that the present National Working Committee of the party would no longer have a valid tenure after June 2024. The commission, which did not oversee the Nnewi Convention held by the party on March 26, 2024, has subsequently stopped conducting any business with them.

According to the statement, the party has taken legal action against INEC for not allowing them to participate in their refresher training sessions for uploading party agents prior to the Edo and Ondo governorship elections. Nonetheless, INEC countered by asserting that they do not recognize Julius Abure or other members of Labour Party’s leadership due to their March 2024 National Convention being deemed invalid. They stated this in a counter-affidavit filed as an answer to our lawsuit.

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According to LP, its leaders – notably former presidential candidate Peter Obi and the sole Labour Party governor Dr. Alex Otti – should be protecting the party rather than causing frustration with their actions.

Due to its role in supporting both leaders during the 2023 general election, it should be acknowledged that the Labour Party is currently facing difficult times.

The Labour Party recalled how they accommodated certain leaders who were previously denied tickets in their former political parties, but now seek the head of Julius Abure. These men had held multiple political offices and begged for tickets while some couldn’t even pay for nomination forms; this is a memory that few Nigerians will forget with hindsight.

The LP leaders claimed they joined their presidential candidate in a vigorous campaign across Nigeria, relentlessly seeking votes. However, little did they know that he was merely using them as pawns to dance to the beat of ‘gwo gwo gwo ngwo’.

Despite facing numerous legal obstacles, we persevered and confronted the forces that opposed us. Our unwavering dedication to our Presidential candidate led to accusations and persecution by government representatives, causing some of us to be pursued relentlessly.

The LP has expressed disappointment and condemnation towards its leadership who had formerly supported their governorship candidates in Abia amid tough times, defying various forms of coercion while braving both political and judicial difficulties to guarantee success. Currently, these same leaders are jubilantly joining LP with an almost mocking dance while the party feels betrayed by them; a feeling that carries significant shame.

According to LP leaders, the infamous role played by INEC in the 2023 general election and how it thwarted the electoral wishes of Nigerian citizens are well-known facts among living Nigerians.

We are astonished that the individuals who were impacted by INEC’s incompetence during the 2023 election have aligned with the Commission to oppose Party leadership. These leaders seem unfazed about leveraging INEC’s illegal stance in an endeavor to claim control over the party.

It is our sincere advice to these leaders that INEC cannot and will never serve as a model for their annexation agenda. The events of the 2023 elections are still fresh in our memories – one moment we vilified INEC, the next we were seen fraternizing with them. It is paradoxical how some victimized leaders who suffered due to INEC’s shortcomings during those elections are now collaborating with them against Labour Party leadership. Isn’t it absurd that you’re welcoming an institution like INEC which betrayed us before? Where was this loyalty when they failed to protect people’s rights during previous polls? Let us not be fooled by current circumstances; remember that come 2027, they might just serve up another dish full of portage from the same old recipe book!

Although we are not suggesting that Abure and his executive members should stay in power indefinitely, it is important to note that the current National Working Committee was established through a legitimate convention. It will require another convention in 2028 for a new executive team to take over. Curiously, some of the individuals who played key roles in organizing this successful event are now working towards dismantling its outcome.

The group stated that the national convention of their party, held on March 26, 2024 in Nnewi and presided over by Justice J.K Omotosho at the Federal High Court Abuja was conducted within legal bounds as per both the Labour Party Constitution and Electoral Act of 2022. They also pointed out several rulings made by Supreme Court stating that issues related to a political party’s internal affairs – such as delegate selection or execution of conventions- lay outside courts’ jurisdiction. The group emphasized INEC cannot deregister parties arbitrarily, based upon Sections 82(1), (3) & (5)of the Electoral Act, and Articles7/13(1)(b)/8(ii)/(viii)&(ix)of LP constitution whereby they are bound to uphold laws via rational decision-making processes even if any irrational action is desired.