We Need To Save Our Party- Gov Otti Tkew
The Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti has announced his commitment to salvage the Labour Party from impending doom.
During an expanded stakeholders' meeting of the Labour Party (LP) in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, Governor Otti, revealed that despite being a new member of the party, his primary focus is on ensuring the party's survival and success.
Addressing the Stakeholders, the Governor noted that the Labour Party is currently faced with leadership challenges, and if not properly and tactically addressed, could lead to its disintegration.
He said the meeting which was called to deal with an existential problem confronting the party, would help to solve the leadership crisis ravaging the party.
According to the Governor, since he joined the party in May,2022, the party has been witnessing series of leadership tussles and each time he tries to intervene, it meets no result, stressing that the crisis has degenerated into a serious one, such that the party nolonger gets recognitions from regulatory authorities like the INEC.
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He said if the stakeholders fail to provide direction, the party might disappear and the platform under which most of them contested election, would also go extinct.
The Governor went ahead to disclose that the Barr Julius Abure led National Working Committee has ceased to be recognized by National authorities and by implication, the Labour Party does not have any leadership at the moment.
He revealed that there are five off-cycle elections scheduled to take place this period. However, he emphasized that since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), does not recognize the party's National Working Committee, any candidates representing the party in these elections would not be recognized. Therefore, it is essential for the party to resolve its internal issues and put its house in order urgently.
Already, the Governor intimated that the Labour Party Agents nominated for Edo and Ondo states' governorship elections were trashed."As we speak, we do not have party Agents for those two elections that will happen in two months time.
"Few weeks ago, the Independent National Electoral Commission, called a meeting of chairmen of political parties, Barr Julius Abure went uninvited and he excused from the meeting.
"Last Friday, another meeting was held involving all the political parties, Labour Party was not invited. This is enough worry to me, so after due consultations from our leaders, legal practitioners, veterans,as well as, the INEC, we decided to put up with this stakeholders meeting, to resolve this prolonged crisis".
He said his interest and that of other stakeholders is to save the party. " We are not here to dissolve anybody, if by infusion of time,your leadership has been rendered comatose, then,you do not exist. We are here to find a way forward".
While, commending the members of the party in Abia, which he said has given room for his government to provide good governance to the people, emphasized the importance for the Party stakeholders to resist moving sheepishly into a hole, saying that the essence of the meeting is to chart a new course for the party at the national level.
The Abia State Governor, further urged the stakeholders of the party to sow seeds that would grow bigger than them, spanning through generations.
Emerging from the meeting a 29-Member Caretaker Committee, led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman and Senator Darlington Nwokocha, as Secretary, was set up, to oversee the election of a new party leadership within the next 90 days.
The Committee Members were mandated to organize Ward, Local Government, State Congresses and National Convention, to elect new party leaders in line with the Labour Party’s constitution and to ensure there is no vacuum in the leadership of the party.
