Text Of Gov Otti’s Address At Labour Party Stakeholders’ Meeting In Abia

The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, at the expanded Labour Party stakeholders meeting in Umuahia, on Wednesday, said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ceased to recognize Julius Abure as the party’s national chairman.

Governor Alex Otti disclosed that INEC on one occasion, sent Abure out of a meeting between the commission and party chairmen; in another meeting, LP did not receive an invitation letter.

The Abia State governor also stated that the party has no agents for the Edo and Ondo State governorship elections. He explained that the names of agents submitted by Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) were rejected by INEC.

He emphasized that if the party leaders wait until the Supreme Court gives judgement on Abure’s tenure, which ended in June 2024, the party would lose more.

A nine-minute address transcribed by our reporter, obtained from X-Daily’s X handle, started thus: “And Supreme Court pronounces that, like we know, that the term of that National Working Committee ended in June 2024. The implication is that every action that they have taken from that June until the day the matter is decided in the Supreme Court will be null and void.

“Some of you who are looking at contesting elections, maybe by then they would have done primary, submitted names, you will find that you will not be a candidate. And I’m not saying something strange. It had happened in Rivers State, for those of you who were there in 2019. It had happened in Zamfara and a few other states. Our people say that a battle that is foretold will not consume even the lame because you know it will happen.

“And of course, there are about five off-season or off-cycle elections that should happen any moment from now, including that of Anambra Senatorial District where our brother, Ifeanyi Ubah, unfortunately, left. Because INEC does not recognize the National Working Committee that existed, if they conducted primaries and selected candidates, they would not list those candidates in those off-cycle elections.

“You don’t need to take my word for it. A few weeks ago, INEC called a meeting of chairmen of political parties. Our Barrister Abure, went uninvited and they excused him from that meeting. Just last Friday, another meeting held involving all the political parties. We were not even invited. I also have it on good authority that our party agents for the forthcoming, Edo and Ondo governorship elections in November, who were selected or nominated by the same working committee, that the document had been trashed.

“So as we speak, we do not have agents for those elections that will happen in about two months’ time. We don’t have agents. So I sat down and I consulted my leader. And I said, we can’t sit down and let our party go to the dogs. And we consulted lawyers, people who are vast in INEC matters and in political party matters. We are lucky to have Senator Victor Umeh, who is a veteran chairman of a political party, which of course was the most litigious political party in Nigeria.

“So we consulted and we said, the best way to do it will be for us, as owners of the party, to sit down. You can gain leadership of the party, but once owners come together and they don’t agree with you, you are gone. And I must also say that before this time, I had engaged with the leadership of the National Working Committee to explain all these issues to them.

“So for me and for a lot of us that are here, we need to save our party. How do we save our party? We are not here to dissolve anybody. If by exclusion of time, your leadership has been rendered comatose, impotent, then you do not exist. So what we are here to do is to define a way forward.

“My engagement with people who know better than I do is that since INEC does not recognize the leadership, which I believe is right, because I have seen documents to the effect that an agreement signed by all the parties, including Barr Abure, that the party should organize an all-encompassing, all-parties, all-interests congress, starting from the ward, through the local government, through the state, which will in turn lead to a national convention.

“I did tell the people who were fighting, when they organized a convention in Nnewi, I did ask them who the delegates were and how they emerged. And that question has not been answered.

“So on the basis of that, it is very clear that things were not done right. So let us not move sheepishly into a hole that we know exists.

“So ladies and gentlemen, that is the essence of this meeting. It is my understanding that I will be very swift and define a direction forward. I know I do have another time to speak, but I wanted to say everything that I wanted to say here, so I don’t need to come back again.

“So distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let me thank you once again for coming. Thank you for being part of this. Thank you for all the support. For us, in Abia, it’s all about governance, good governance.

“If you follow us, you’ll find that whatever is not right, we will not do it. That’s our word for it. Is it right? Is that the way to go? Labour Party, just like elsewhere, should actually lead the way.”