Abure: My Tenure as LP National Chairman Expires in 2028

By Our Correspondent

The National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Barrister Julius Abure, remains the validly elected leader of the party with a tenure running until 2028, his media office has clarified.

This is even as it dismissed what it termed a “flurry of conflicting narratives” aimed at creating uncertainty about his leadership.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to the Chairman on Media and Strategic Communications, Hon. Amb. Aju Elumelu-James, provided a detailed timeline of events to “separate legal proceedings from misinformation” and set the record straight regarding the legitimacy and duration of Abure’s tenure.

According to the statement, the need for clarification has become necessary despite the matter being presently before the Court of Appeal, as various politically motivated interpretations have flooded the public space.

The Abure camp insisted that the ongoing judicial process does not justify the distortion of verifiable constitutional facts.

A Constitutional Timeline: From 2020 to 2028

The statement meticulously detailed how Barrister Abure ascended to the party’s top job, tracing the lineage of leadership back to the late National Chairman, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, who passed away in December 2020.

Following Abdulsalam’s death, the National Working Committee (NWC) appointed Deputy National Chairman Maria Lebeke to serve in an acting capacity on December 31, 2020, as stipulated by the party’s constitution.

After three months, Lebeke convened a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, where Barrister Julius Abure was unanimously elected on March 29, 2021, to complete the late chairman’s tenure, which was initially due to expire in June 2023.

However, the statement revealed that prior to that expiration, a crucial NEC meeting was held in Asaba in April 2023. The meeting, which reportedly had in attendance the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), resolved to extend the tenure of the existing leadership by one year.

With the extended tenure set to conclude in June 2024, the party proceeded to hold a National Convention in Nnewi on March 27, 2024. It was at this convention that the current leadership, with Abure at the helm, was duly elected.

“Consequently, it is fallacious, misleading, and mischievous to continue to suggest that the tenure of Barr. Julius Abure has expired,” the statement read. “In fact, following the March 2024 convention, his tenure is expected to run until 2028.”

The Supreme Court and ‘Internal Affairs’

Addressing the legal battles that have dogged the party, the Abure media office emphasised that the Supreme Court has not invalidated the Nnewi convention.

It noted that the apex court merely held that matters concerning the leadership of a political party are internal affairs, over which the courts lack jurisdiction.

“At no time did any court set aside the Nnewi convention or declare that Barr. Julius Abure’s tenure had expired,” the statement clarified.

The release stressed that when the constitution refers to “internal affairs,” it empowers only the recognized organs of the party—the NWC, NEC, and the National Convention—to make decisions regarding leadership. It asserted that the National Convention in Nnewi “spoke clearly and decisively” on March 27, 2024, when it elected the current leadership.

With this detailed timeline, the Abure-led NWC is seeking to consolidate its position and reassure stakeholders of the legitimacy of its mandate until 2028.