The factional Deputy National Chairman of the Labour Party, Ayo Olorunfemi, has asserted that Julius Abure remains the party’s national chairman despite recent developments.
Olorunfemi, who aligns with Abure’s faction, emphasized that the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday did not declare that Abure’s tenure had expired.
In an interview with Arise News on Friday, Olorunfemi clarified that it was incorrect to state that the Supreme Court had removed Abure from his position.
“Obviously, he (Abure) is still the chairman, national chairman. Obviously, because the Supreme Court came out clearly, express its judgment, reflecting the fact that the issue of leadership of any political party, including the Labour Party, is an internal affair, and can only be determined by the party,” Olorunfemi stated.
He also argued that the Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee, which brought the case to the Supreme Court, did not have the authority to make such claims about the leadership of the party. “And when you ask me this question, who is the party? The party is the constitution of the party. Everything that has to do with the party is entailed in the constitution. And by Labour Party constitution, you have what they call the ward exco. You have the local government exco. You have the state working committee, and you have the national working committee. You have the national executive committee, and you have the national convention,” he explained.
Olorunfemi further questioned the legitimacy of those who had taken the matter to court, stating that they were not part of any recognized organ of the party. “Now, in all of this, those who have gone to court, are they members of any of this organ? The court only came out to tell us in clear terms, don’t bring your matter to court when it has to do with leadership, because you have your constitution, you have to deal with your matter.”
He continued, noting that even the High Court had denied jurisdiction over the matter, indicating that leadership disputes should be handled internally by the party. “And as a matter of fact, even at the High Court, if you look at that judgment very well, the court denied jurisdiction. I said, look, we don’t have any business talking about leadership of the party. But if I have to look at your convention, whether it followed due process or not, I will confirm that the convention, the national convention, followed due process,” he added.
When asked by the anchor, Charles, whether the Supreme Court ruling mentioned the expiration of Abure’s tenure, Olorunfemi firmly responded, “No. It (Supreme Court) talked about the tenure of all political parties. That you are expected, if your tenure has expired, you are expected to make yourself available for a re-election, or you go out. That is generally, it’s a generic something. Talking about political parties in Nigeria, political administration in Nigeria, is just a kind of opinion and advice to all political parties. Because the issue of tenure was not taken before the court. Are you with me? The issue of the national convention was not taken before the court.”
