INEC: “Julius Abure’s Claim as Labour Party Chairman is Illegal and Unconstitutional”

Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally announced that it no longer recognises Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), citing serious violations of party and constitutional laws. The electoral body’s position was revealed in a counter-affidavit filed in response to a lawsuit by the Labour Party over its exclusion from key electoral preparations ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

According to INEC, Abure’s leadership role in the Labour Party, along with the party’s national working committee, had legally expired as of June 2024. The commission argued that the March 2024 National Convention, where Abure was re-elected as chairman, was in violation of both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act. As a result, INEC stated that Abure’s claim to the party’s leadership is “illegal and unconstitutional.”

The legal dispute arose after the Labour Party challenged its exclusion from INEC’s refresher training for uploading party agents, a critical step for ensuring representation in upcoming elections. However, INEC has maintained that it only interacts with political parties that have valid leadership in place, a status it claims the Labour Party no longer holds under Abure.

INEC’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Tanko Inuwa, emphasized that the Labour Party’s legal request for declaratory reliefs—aimed at regaining recognition—was unsubstantiated and could not be granted without sufficient evidence. INEC reiterated that the Labour Party’s failure to meet the legal criteria for conducting its national convention has effectively invalidated its leadership structure.

The electoral commission has urged the court to dismiss the Labour Party’s suit, asserting that the party is not entitled to the relief it seeks under current circumstances.

The dispute within the Labour Party has been further complicated by accusations surrounding the management of campaign funds from the 2023 general election. Julius Abure has faced allegations of embezzlement and mismanagement of election donations, claims he has denied. During a press conference in Abuja, Abure asserted that he had no control over campaign funds, stating that signatories to campaign accounts were activist Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo, not the party leadership.

In response, Aisha Yesufu, a prominent figure in the 2023 campaign fundraising team, criticised Abure in a viral video, calling him “shameless” for claiming that polling agents were not paid. She questioned the management of funds within the Labour Party and accused Abure of engaging in outdated practices that ignore modern transparency standards.