ABURE’S TENURE AS LABOUR PARTY NATIONAL CHAIRMAN EXPIRED IN JUNE 2024” – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Insists
In a significant legal development, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially stated that Julius Abure’s tenure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party ended in June 2024. This announcement comes amidst a legal dispute between the electoral body and the party, which is challenging its exclusion from a key INEC training for uploading party agents ahead of the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
In a counter affidavit filed in response to the Labour Party’s lawsuit, INEC underscored that it no longer recognizes Abure as the party’s leader, discrediting the legitimacy of the March 2024 National Convention where Abure was purportedly re-elected. The commission argued that this convention breached both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act, rendering the party’s leadership structure invalid.
INEC’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Tanko Inuwa, maintained that the Labour Party must prove its case based on legal merits, stressing that the suit was seeking declaratory reliefs, which cannot be granted purely on claims or admissions. They asserted that the Labour Party had failed to adhere to the legal framework governing party conventions, making its leadership illegitimate in the eyes of the Commission.
The electoral body firmly stood its ground, stating that it only engages with political parties whose leadership is valid and in compliance with legal statutes. As such, INEC called on the court to dismiss the Labour Party’s claims, arguing that the party is not entitled to the reliefs it seeks.
This case adds a fresh layer of complexity to the political landscape, as the Labour Party grapples with internal leadership challenges ahead of crucial elections in Edo and Ondo States.
