Julius Abure, the embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has shrugged off the threat from the party’s caretaker committee, headed by Nenadi Usman, which intends to challenge a recent court ruling that confirmed his leadership.

Last week, the Federal High Court in Abuja validated the disputed national convention that reinstated Abure and his National Working Committee (NWC) to office.

Despite this, the caretaker committee met with Peter Obi, the LP’s 2023 presidential candidate, and Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia State, before deciding to take the case to the Appeal Court.

In an interview with Punch on Sunday, Obiora Ifoh, the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary and a supporter of Abure, dismissed the Usman-led committee’s intentions.

He argued that the 29-member caretaker panel had no legal standing to contest the court’s decision, emphasizing that it was not a recognized entity under the law.

Ifoh said, “It would be unfortunate if they toe that line because you can’t appeal a judgment that you are not a party to. The caretaker committee is not a body known to the Labour Party constitution. It is not a body known to the electoral law or the Constitution of Nigeria. So, they do not even have a locus.”

He pointed out that the dispute was between the Labour Party and INEC, and since the committee wasn’t involved in the original case, it had no grounds to file an appeal.

“There are so many instances in the Nigerian law that say if you are not a party to any suit, you cannot appeal. So they have an alternative, maybe they can start a fresh suit. But their name, as I told you, is not even recognised by the law,” Ifoh added.

Highlighting the party’s stability despite past challenges, Ifoh concluded that anyone dissatisfied with the current leadership would have to wait until the end of its term.

“For now, the leadership of Julius Abure will expire in 2028. That is what the law has said.”

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Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed frustration over being denied access to Democracy Park for the launch of its governorship campaign.

The PDP Campaign Organisation accused the state government of deliberately blocking their event, a move they described as intolerant and undemocratic in the lead-up to the gubernatorial election.

In a statement on Saturday, Mr. Ayo Fadaka, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the PDP campaign, explained that the party had formally applied to use the venue for its October 15 campaign flag-off.

However, the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa rejected their request, marking what Fadaka called an unprecedented and petty action by any administration in the state.

“To say we did not anticipate this pedestrian action will only indicate that we have not taken deep cognizance of the indecorous approach of Governor Aiyedatiwa to governance,” Fadaka stated.

He recalled that during the tenure of the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, no political party was ever denied access to public spaces, praising Akeredolu as a true statesman.

“Now Ondo State is unlucky to have a worse variant in its saddle,” he lamented, calling for an end to what he described as a “degeneracy” in governance.

Despite the setback, Fadaka confirmed that the PDP will still proceed with its campaign flag-off in Akure. He acknowledged that the event might cause some disruptions but placed the blame squarely on the “irresponsibility” of the state government.

“We regret whatever inconvenience our gathering may cause and apologize in advance, but note that the pedestrian government is the cause.”

Fadaka concluded with a warning: “Once a fire is set, there is no hiding the flames.” He reaffirmed the PDP’s confidence in winning the upcoming election, stating that “no cheap, petty, and pedestrian attitude will stop that.”

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