Electoral Commission Restores Julius Abure as Chairman of Labour Party under Court Directive
Hear Ye! The National Chair of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, is Back!
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has brought back Julius Abure to his rightful position as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. Check their website and you'll see Abure's name listed once more, alongside Umar Farouk Ibrahim, who's also back as the National Secretary.
Why's that, you ask? Well, it appears that INEC complied with a court order, although they didn't provide much detail about their decision beyond that. But hey, politics ain't rocket science, right?
In a parallel universe, INEC also acknowledged Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Mind you, they didn't drop a single hint about whether this move was based on a court order or not. So, the legal validity of Anyanwu's re-enlistment remains a bit of a mystery.
Now, if you remember, Abure's been clinging to that chair since the Supreme Court ruling last month. He argues that the court recognized his chairmanship as an internal party matter, which it's not supposed to meddle in. But there's been ongoing drama around the legitimacy of his leadership.
Our sources tell us that Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, along with other party members, are backing a Caretaker Committee led by Senator Nenadi Usman. They argue that the Supreme Court's ruling essentially dumped Abure's chairmanship.
To make it official, Governor Otti sent a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment to INEC on April 9. He aimed to clear up the party's internal leadership structure, making sure it aligns with INEC's records. An INEC source whispered to Vanguard that the decision to reinstate Abure was based on the interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment, which focused on jurisdictional issues rather than the substance of the dispute.
In other news, the Supreme Court ruled in March that Senator Anyanwu should keep his gig as PDP's National Secretary. This overturned decisions from the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal that removed him from office. The court emphasized that such disputes are within the party's internal domain and not within the jurisdiction of regular courts.
The PDP has faced its fair share of leadership struggles, with Senator Anyanwu in a prolonged dispute with Sunday Ude-Okoye, who had the backing of some party governors. But the Supreme Court's ruling reinforced the idea that internal party issues should be settled within the party structure, outside the judiciary's reach.
The legal basis for Abure's reinstatement might be a bit murky, but it could be seen as a nod to the party's internal processes rather than a strict legal mandate. However, the political implications and legal interpretations remain subjects of debate. Keep an eye on this one, folks! 👁️📸
- Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, has been reinstated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as seen on their website.
- Umar Farouk Ibrahim, formerly the National Secretary, has also been reinstated, alongside Abure.
- INEC complied with a court order in bringing Abure back, but details regarding the decision are scarce.
- In a similar turn of events, the PDP acknowledged Samuel Anyanwu as their National Secretary, although the legal validity of this move remains uncertain.
- Abure has held onto his chairmanship since the Supreme Court ruling last month, despite criticism over the legitimacy of his leadership.
- The Labour Party's Caretaker Committee, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, has the support of Governor Alex Otti, Peter Obi, and others, who argue that the Supreme Court's ruling effectively ended Abure's chairmanship.
- Governor Otti sent a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment to INEC to clarify the party's internal leadership structure, with the reinstatement of Abure based on the interpretation of the judgment focusing on jurisdictional issues rather than the substance of the dispute.
