A chieftain of the Labour Party, LP, Callistus Uju Okafor, has declared that the stakeholders meeting of the party convened by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State is unconstitutional and an effort in futility.
Okafor, in a statement on Wednesday, said the meeting that produced Senator Nenadi Usman as the interim national chairman was illegal, urging Nigerians and party supporters to be wary of detractors.
He cited Article 11 of the party’s 2009 Constitution and the consent judgement delivered by Hon. GO Kolawole on March 20, 2018, to further fault the stakeholders’ meeting.
He said: “We want to bring to the notice of the general public that the jamboree gathering tagged, Labour Party stakeholders meeting, held in Umuahia, Abia State, is unconstitutional and not known to any organisation of the party.
“Dr Alex Otti and Mr Peter Obi do not have the constitutional authority to convene any party meeting.”
Okafor also challenged Governor Otti to produce a letter issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, authorising him to convene the meeting.
Recall that the Labour Party’s National Working Committee led by Julius Abure, distanced itself from the outcome of the meeting held in Umuahia yesterday.
In a press release, the party denounced the meeting as illegal and unconstitutional.
The Labour Party stated that the gathering was not sanctioned by the party and therefore does not reflect its position or interests.
The party urged its members and the general public to disregard any resolutions or statements from the meeting.
“The Labour Party disowns the outcome of the Umuahia stakeholders meeting convened by Governor Alex Otti. The meeting is illegal and unconstitutional, and we urge our members to disregard any resolutions from this gathering,” the statement read.