The senator representing the Federal Capital Territory district, Ireti Kingibe, on Tuesday, threw her weight behind the 29-man caretaker committee put in place by the national leader of the Labour Party, Peter Obi; Abia Governor Alex Otti and the party stakeholders last week to conduct an expansive national convention.
Kingibe gave the endorsement at the flag off of a four-day free medical outreach she facilitated for her constituents in Abuja.
The medical outreach, which was done in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, saw many people turn up for eye tests, free treatment and referrals for suspected cataract cases.
The senator, who was represented by her senior legislative aide, Dr Chris Omofoma, told PUNCH Online that every LP member knows the tenure of the National Chairman of LP, Julius Abure and members of his National Working Committee has ended as far back as June 2023.
While stating that Abure and his loyalists have yet to come to terms with reality, Kingibe explained that the same Otti and Obi he is currently battling begged to extend his tenure by an extra year to recover from the 2023 presidential election loss.
The National Chairman of LP, Julius Abure; his National Secretary, Umar Farouk and the National Youth Leader, Kennedy Ahanotu, were conspicuously absent at the enlarged stakeholders’ meeting held in Umuahia, the state capital on Wednesday.
The governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, had called for the meeting to resolve the lingering leadership crisis in the party.
The Abure-led NWC has, however, kicked against the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee, describing it as null and void.
She said, “There is no crisis in Labour. It is Abure’s NWC that refused to admit that their tenure has ended. Even INEC has clearly stated that Abure’s tenure ended in 2023 June. But Alex Otti and Peter Obi extended it by one year so the party could recover from the (2023) election losses before conducting the national convention. So their tenure was extended to June 8, 2024, which has lapsed.
“So whatever Alex Otti, Obi and other party stakeholders is well in line with the constitution and INEC guidelines. So, it is left for Abure to come to terms with the reality that his tenure is over and it is time to do the needful.
“I am in sync with the Nenadi Usman-led committee and back it 100 per cent. That is the way to go. Every other thing the Abure-NWC is illegal.”
Continuing, the FCT senator described Tuesday’s medical outreach as a huge success.
According to her, the mission was to provide essential medical services to 5,000 members of her constituency in the FCT.
[Punch]