There is growing anxiety within the Labour Party Caretaker Committee, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has yet to grant official recognition to the panel, two weeks after its establishment.
The 29-member caretaker committee, inaugurated during a stakeholders’ meeting led by Abia State Governor Alex Otti and Labour Party national leader Peter Obi, was charged with the mandate of conducting elections to appoint new party executives at all levels. However, since its inception on September 4, the committee’s efforts have been stalled, awaiting legitimacy from INEC.
According to a committee member, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, the group submitted a letter to INEC on September 6, requesting recognition, but INEC has not yet acted on the request.
The delay, according to the source, is attributed to a lawsuit involving the Labour Party leadership, which is currently before a Federal High Court in Abuja. INEC has reportedly urged the caretaker committee to await the court’s decision before proceeding with further action.
This legal bottleneck follows reports that the embattled Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, had taken INEC to court, seeking to prevent the commission from officially recognizing the Usman-led caretaker committee.
The source expressed frustration with the current impasse, stating, “Nobody expected to still be facing this bottleneck two weeks after the committee came on board. The original plan was to persuade Abure or members of his National Working Committee to attend the Umuahia meeting to give it some form of legitimacy. However, their absence defeated the purpose, leaving INEC with no choice but to delay its recognition.”
Compounding the problem, the source noted that the initial letter requesting INEC’s recognition had been rejected due to a proxy signature on behalf of Peter Obi, instead of the letter being signed directly by him.
In an effort to resolve the legitimacy issues, the Usman-led committee has sought an injunction from a state High Court in Aba, Abia State, to prevent the Abure-led executives from continuing to represent themselves as party officers.
Despite these challenges, the caretaker committee kicked off its inaugural meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, attended by notable Labour Party members including the party’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Datti Baba-Ahmed, and Abia State Deputy Governor, Ikechukwu Emetu.
Efforts to reach Senator Usman and the caretaker committee secretary, Darlington Nwokocha, for comments were unsuccessful, as they did not respond to calls or messages at the time of this report.
Meanwhile, Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, has reiterated the party’s official position, dismissing the Usman-led committee and urging party members not to recognize the group.
“Our party is intact, and we will not allow visitors to chase us out of the house we laboured to build. Some of them are barely one year old in the party, and they are already positioning themselves and their allies to take over,” Ifoh said, emphasizing that the Labour Party would not accept any actions that violate its constitution.
As the Labour Party’s internal wrangling continues, the fate of the Usman-led caretaker committee remains in limbo, pending legal resolutions and INEC’s eventual decision.