The Labour Party (LP) leaders have said that their 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi has used them for ‘gwo gwo gwo ngwo dance, a literary dance of deceit.
The LP leaders said recent developments in their party, particularly the efforts by some of the party’s leaders, including Peter Obi, and the Abia state governor, Dr. Alex Otti, amongst others, to annex the party’s leadership through subterranean means after using them to dance gwo gwo gwo ngwo.
According to a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, Obi and Otti are using the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as their launching pad.
“In the last few days, the media has been awash with INEC’s counter affidavit stating that the current executives’ tenure has expired. This was supposed to justify the inglorious, purported Umuahia stakeholders meeting, at which a caretaker committee was produced.
“You will recall that His Excellencies Peter Obi and Alex Otti convened an illegal stakeholders meeting in Umuahia a few weeks ago. At this meeting, they handpicked some of their cronies, a 29-member caretaker committee, in the most undemocratic fashion, as leaders of their party’s faction. Subsequently, on September 6, 2024, they wrote a letter to the INEC informing the commission of the purported and non-existent leadership crisis in the party.
“They hinged their decision on INEC’s informed decision that the party’s present National Working Committee no longer had a valid tenure after June 2024. Because INEC also did not monitor the party’s Nnewi Convention held on March 26, 2024, the commission has ceased transacting with the party.
“The party has since sued INEC, challenging its exclusion from the commission’s refresher training for uploading party agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections. However, INEC argued in a counter-affidavit filed in response to our suit that the Labour Party’s leadership, including Julius Abure, is now invalid, stressing that it does not recognise the party’s March 2024 National Convention, which re-elected Abure as chairman,” the statement said.
LP said it is miffed by the actions of its leaders, including its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the only Labour Party governor, Dr Alex Otti, who should be defending the party.
“They ought to know that the Labour Party is going through these challenging times simply because of its role in defending both leaders during the 2023 general election.
“For the benefit of hindsight, few Nigerians will forget how the Labour Party reduced its guards in accommodating some of these leaders when they were denied tickets in their former political parties. Many of these men, who were holding several political offices but suddenly turned warriors today, seeking the head of Julius Abure to be served on a platter, were rolling on the floors, begging for tickets. Some couldn’t even afford to pay for the nomination forms,” LP said.
The LP leaders said they went to the trenches with their presidential candidate, cascading through the nooks and crannies of Nigeria canvassing for votes, but never knew he was using them to dance ‘gwo gwo gwo ngwo.’
“We went through all the judicial hurdles and dared the principalities and powers. We were haunted, accused, and, in some cases, chased around by agents of the state because of our steadfast commitment and uncompromised standing with our Presidential candidate.
“The same LP leadership stood by our then-governorship candidate in Abia through thick and thin, snubbing all sorts of pressures and weathering the political and judicial storms to ensure victory. Today, these leaders are dancing ‘Gwo gwo gwo ngwo’ with us. What a shame, what a betrayal,” the LP said.
The LP leaders said every Nigerian alive today knows the ignoble role INEC played in the 2023 general election and how the people’s electoral will was dashed.
“It amazes us that those who suffered from INEC’s ineptitude in 2023 are joining forces with the Commission against the Party leadership. For these leaders, there are no qualms about using INEC’s standpoint of illegality to attempt to seize the party’s leadership.
“We sincerely want to advise these leaders that INEC is and can never be the model on which to launch their annexation agenda. The 2023 saga is still fresh. In one breath, we demonised INEC; in another second, you are consorting with them. Is it not paradoxical that some of these leaders who were victims of INEC’s dereliction and mismanagement of the 2023 general election are now the ones quoting INEC and joining forces with it just to victimise the leadership of the Labour Party? Is it not seemingly absurd that the INEC you are embracing today and welcoming with open arms is the same INEC which betrayed us during the last election? Where was this loyalty when INEC failed to protect the people’s will in 2023? Let us not be fooled, my friends. INEC has not changed, and come 2027; they will once again serve you the portage with the same dish.
“In as much as we are not saying that Abure or his executive members must remain in office ad infinitum, however, we would like to make it abundantly clear that this current National Working Committee is a product of a valid convention. It will take another convention in 2028 to enthrone a new executive. It is even surprising that some of the dramatis personae who played critical roles in the convention’s success are now leading the vanguard to exterminate the product of the convention.
“We want to put it on record that the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice J.K Omotosho, had declared that the national convention of the party held in Nnewi on March 26, 2024, is valid and one conducted in line with the requirement of both the 2022 Electoral Act and Labour Party Constitution. The Supreme Court, in several judgments, had also ruled that Issues regarding delegates at a National Convention or how the convention is planned and executed by a political party are outside the jurisdiction of any Court of the land, being internal affairs of – such a Party. Therefore, not even INEC can deregister the Labour Party as being peddled by some of our leaders. INEC as an institution is bound to respect the laws of the land as clearly stated in Sections 82(1), 82(3) and 82(5) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and Articles 7, 13(1), 13(1) (b) (ii), 13(1) (b) (viii) and 13 (1) (ix) of the party constitution and cannot afford to act irrational even if it wants to,” the group said.