Victor Ezeja
Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has stated that the factional national chairman, Julius Abure, knows that his tenure has expired.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelOtti stated that they have fought and retrieved the party from Abure.
He stated this in an interview aired on Arise News Television’s Morning Show on Friday.
The governor stated that anyone who reads the Supreme Court judgment would know that Abure’s time is over.
The Labour Party has been in the throes of leadership crisis with Abure and his allies on one hand, and the caretaker committee led by Nenadi Usman on the other.
The Supreme Court delivered a judgment last month and invalidated the rulings of the Court of Appeal and High Court which recognized the leadership of Abure as national chairman of the Labour Party.
The apex court ruled that the lower courts lacked the jurisdiction to pronounce Abure chairman of the party.
It upheld the appeal filed by Nenadi Usman and struck out the cross-appeal by Abure.
However, both factions have been giving the Supreme Court judgment varied interpretations, with each claiming victory.
READ ALSO: Labour Party Crisis: By S’Court Ruling, Abure Is No Longer National Chairman – Sen. Umeh
Usman’s Caretaker committee has the backing of Otti, the presidential candidate of the party in 2023 election, Peter Obi, his running mate, and Dr Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed among others.
Abure recently claimed that he is still in charge, adding that there is no vacuum in the leadership of the party.
However, speaking in the interview, Otti said: “When you go through the supreme court judgment, you will know that Abure is just masturbating.”
Speaking on the rumour of defection, the Abia governor declared that he remains a member of Labour Party that brought him to power, adding that there is no threat to the leadership of the party.
He said the apex court judgment has removed Abure as national chairman and stripped him of authority over the party’s affairs.
He said everybody cannot be in the ruling All Progressives Congress, adding that President Bola Tinubu was in the opposition party from 1999 until 2015 when his party came into power with the election of Muhammadu Buhari as president.
“Governor Otti is not decamping and my party (LP) is not on shaky ground; everybody must not be in APC. This is democracy and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu held on to his AD, AC, ACN before becoming APC,” he said.
“Let me tell you. I was in PDP. Then, from PDP, I went to APGA. I went to APC. I’ve been in APC. So that’s not the issue.
READ ALSO: Labour Party Judgment: Supreme Court Should Issue Explanatory Note – Ubani
“The issue is that the party that brought me to power is Labour. And today we have fought and retrieved the Labour Party.”
On whether he would remain in the Labour Party, Otti stated that political decisions are made based on prevailing conditions, adding that the current situation does not warrant his defection from the party.
“Tomorrow, anything can change. And I’ve told you, I’m very pragmatic and I look at things. And of course, if I’m going to take any decision, that decision is going to be taken in full consultation with the Abia people,” he added.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
