The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it no longer recognizes Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), calling his continued claim to the position “illegal and unconstitutional.”
This clarification came through a counter-affidavit submitted by Ayuba Mohammed, an Executive Officer in INEC’s Litigation and Prosecution Department.
The response was part of a legal case filed by the Labour Party (Suit NO. FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024), challenging its exclusion from INEC’s training related to uploading party agents for the upcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
The dispute stems from the expiration of Abure’s term as chairman on June 9, 2024, which was confirmed by the Labour Party’s Board of Trustees Secretary, Salisu Mohammad. INEC emphasized that it did not monitor or endorse the Labour Party’s National Convention held in Anambra on March 27, 2024, where Abure claimed re-election.
INEC further stated that both Abure’s leadership and the convention itself violated the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act. The commission reaffirmed that it only works with political parties that have legitimate leadership structures in place.
INEC’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Tanko Inuwa, argued that the Labour Party had failed to follow legal procedures for conducting its national convention, making its leadership invalid. INEC urged the court to dismiss the Labour Party’s lawsuit, arguing that the party was not entitled to the reliefs it was seeking.
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