The National Legal Adviser to the Labour Party, Barr. Kehinde Edum, has said the party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, is now with the national chairman of the party, Julius Abure.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja had last week validated the party’s March 2024 national convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, which produced Abure as the national chairman.
But the 29-member caretaker committee, established by Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti, in a statement reacting to the Appeal Court ruling, warned Abure to stop presenting himself as the party’s national chairman.
The statement noted that the committee, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, remained in charge of the Labour Party’s affairs going by the mandate given to it by the party stakeholders at an emergency convention.
But Edum during an interview on channels TV’s Politics Today on Wednesday, said Obi was already mending fences with Abure
He also said the court struck out the case because it was inconsequential.
Edun said, “Issue of the judgment of November 13 was filed by the counsel to Nanedi. The court looked at that judgment and said that it had made a pronouncement as to who is the national chairman of the Labour Party and no positions stand. The court said that the position remains. It was clear that their appeal was unnecessary, pointless and sheer waste of time and academic exercise.
“The court said that it was only an intermediate appellate to try to look at some of the issues; but the definite judgement of the court was that appeal was of no consequence and the court dismissed that appeal.
However, Edun said that Abure was never removed as the party national chairman.
He said that his position was reaffirmed by the court.
He added, “The leadership of the party remains as it was before the filing of the suit at the trial court and as affirmed by this court in our 13th November 2024 judgement; if there is something that was made clear is that Abure was never removed. It is not a case of Abure being reinstated. It was a case of Abure being reaffirmed in that court.”
When asked if Peter Obi was with Abure, Edun said that “I believe so. He hasn’t made any categorical statement about that. He hasn’t said he has left the party. Yes, he’s with us, and I believe he’s speaking with Abure. That’s what I know and believe.”(Daily Trust)
