September 18, (THEWILL) – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it no longer recognises Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), declaring his continued claim to the position as “illegal and unconstitutional”.
According to INEC, Abure’s tenure, along with that of the party’s national working committee, officially expired in June 2024.
The commission disclosed this in a counter-affidavit filed in response to a lawsuit by the Labour Party (LP) before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The party had sued INEC after being excluded from the commission’s refresher training for uploading party agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
In a counter affidavit deposed to by Ayuba Mohammed, an executive officer in INEC’s Litigation and Prosecution Department, in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, the electoral body maintained that based on its records, Abure’s tenure as the National Chairman of the LP, along with the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), expired in June 2024.
INEC claimed it did not monitor, participate in, or recognise the purported national convention of the party held on March 27 in Anambra State, where Abure claimed he was re-elected.
The Commission argued that the convention was conducted in breach of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, INEC’s regulations and guidelines for political parties 2022, and the LP’s constitution 2019.
Citing its regulations, INEC stated that it only deals with valid and subsisting national chairmen and secretaries of political parties in issuing notices and correspondence.
The commission recalled that on August 16, 2024, when the refresher training notice was issued, it asserted that the LP had no valid national chairman or secretary, as Abure’s tenure, along with other NWC members, had elapsed in June 2024.
In a written address in support of the counter affidavit, INEC’s legal team, led by Tanko Inuwa, argued that the LP’s suit is seeking declaratory reliefs, which cannot be granted as a matter of course or based on mere admissions. They contended that the LP must succeed on the strength of its case, even in the face of admissions.
The commission’s lawyers further submitted that having failed to comply with the extant legal frameworks in conducting its national convention, the party does not have a valid leadership that INEC could engage. They urged the court to dismiss the suit, insisting that the party was not entitled to the reliefs sought.
