On Wednesday, the Labour Party announced the formation of a 29-man caretaker committee chaired by former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman.
The committee will oversee the election of a new party leadership within the next 90 days. The Immediate-past Senate Minority Deputy Leader, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, has been appointed as Secretary of the committee.
The resolution was made at the Party’s NEC/Extended Stakeholders meeting held at Government House in Umuahia, as confirmed by a statement from Ukoha Njoku, Chief Press Secretary to the governor of Abia State.
Njoku stated, “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.”
During the meeting, a roll call confirmed the assembly was duly convened, resulting in the immediate constitution of the 29-member Caretaker Committee to prevent a leadership vacuum within the party.
Other members of the committee will represent various interest groups, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Senate, House of Representatives, House of Assembly, and gubernatorial candidates from the last election.
The resolution also included “3 Senators, 4 members of House of Representatives, 3 members from State Houses of Assembly, 3 members from the Nigeria Labour Congress, 3 members from the Trade Union Congress, 3 members from the gubernatorial candidates in the last election, among others,” Njoku added.
The meeting also praised Governor Alex Otti for his role in hosting the session and encouraged party members to support the Caretaker Committee in achieving its goals.
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However, the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party has disavowed the meeting and the formation of the caretaker committee. In a statement signed by the party’s publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, Abure declared the meeting illegal and urged Nigerians to disregard its outcomes.
“As clearly stated in our previous statement, the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, and all others who have converged in Umuahia have no power within the Party Constitution, the Electoral Act, and even within the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to convene any meeting of the Party,” the statement asserted.
The statement further criticized the meeting, describing it as a “charade, a waste of time and resources of Abia People.” It questioned the legitimacy of the committee, asserting that “the so-called caretaker committee set up by the Governor of Abia State is not known to the constitution of the Party and can best be described as a department in Abia State Government House.”
It also claimed that Senator Nenadi Usman, the newly appointed chairman of the committee, is “not a registered member of the Party,” having appeared only during the Peter Obi presidential campaign.
This development underscores the ongoing internal conflicts within the Labour Party and highlights the challenges it faces in stabilizing its leadership structure.
