The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced it no longer recognises Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), labelling his continued claim to the position as “illegal and unconstitutional.”
INEC cited the expiration of Abure’s tenure, along with that of the Labour Party’s National Working Committee, in June 2024. The commission made this known in a counter-affidavit filed in response to a lawsuit by the Labour Party, which challenged its exclusion from INEC’s refresher training for uploading party agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
The commission argued that the Labour Party’s leadership, including Abure, is no longer valid. It further contended that the March 2024 National Convention, which purported to re-elect Abure, violated both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act. INEC stated, “We only deal with parties with legitimate leadership in place.”
The commission’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Tanko Inuwa, also maintained that the Labour Party’s lawsuit sought declaratory reliefs that could not be granted based solely on admissions. INEC argued that the party must provide substantial proof to back its claims.
INEC insisted that, due to the Labour Party’s failure to meet legal requirements for its national convention, the party no longer has valid leadership. The commission urged the court to dismiss the suit, declaring, “The Labour Party is not entitled to the reliefs it is seeking.”
In response to allegations of financial mismanagement, Abure, in an earlier press conference, denied accusations that he mishandled campaign funds, particularly in relation to the 2023 presidential election loss of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi. He claimed that he had no direct access to campaign funds and that financial matters were managed by others.
Abure stated, “The signatories to the campaign accounts were Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo. They were responsible for payments to polling unit agents.”
However, Yesufu, the chair of the campaign fundraising team, refuted Abure’s statements in a viral video, calling his claims “shameless” and accusing him of failing to pay the party’s agents despite collecting significant funds from ticket sales. She further criticised Abure for using outdated political tactics, accusing him of trying to manipulate the narrative without accountability.
As this legal battle continues, the future leadership of the Labour Party remains uncertain, with INEC’s position casting doubt on the party’s internal structure.
