Abure,
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified its position regarding the leadership of the Labour Party (LP), stating that it is still examining the recent Supreme Court judgment which overturned previous rulings from the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal that upheld Julius Abure as the party’s national chairman.
INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, addressed the issue via a post on the Commission’s official handle on “X” (formerly Twitter), explaining that Abure’s name had been reinstated earlier due to a separate court order, unrelated to the Supreme Court’s recent decision.
According to Oyekanmi, “Our attention has been drawn to some media reports claiming that the Commission has recognised certain persons as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the Labour Party LP.”
“The reports also inferred that the Commission has restored a particular individual as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, referring to the listings on the Commission’s official website.”
He emphasized that no new decisions have been made following the apex court’s judgment: “The Commission has not made any decision in respect of either the LP or PDP.”
Oyekanmi further explained that the listings currently on the INEC website are reflective of previous legal directives.
“The names of the National Officers of the LP had previously been uploaded to our website following a court order, not related in any way to the latest judgement of the Supreme Court.”
“In the same manner, the name of the National Secretary of the PDP on the same website was neither deleted nor reinstated.”
Reiterating INEC’s commitment to legality, he added, “As a law abiding institution, the Commission is carefully studying the judgement of the Supreme Court on the Labour Party and will communicate its decision to the public in due course.”
As at the time of this report, the INEC website lists Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party and Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim as its National Secretary.
Senator Samuel Anyanwu is also listed as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party.
