Politics
LP moves to resolve Edo leadership crisis
The leadership of the Labour Party confirmed consultation has begun to resolve the lingering party crisis in Edo State ahead of the September 21 governorship election.
While describing the conflict as a ‘family affair,’ the opposition insisted that the situation was under control.
The LP governorship candidate, Olumide Akpata, will square up against Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party and his counterpart in the All Progressives Congress, Senator Monday Okpebholo, to replace the outgoing governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki.
The crisis rocking the Edo chapter of the party took a comical turn last Friday when two LP chieftains claimed to be the substantive chairman at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission in the state.
The two chairmen were Elizabeth Ativie, who was recently sworn in as caretaker committee chairman by the Julius Abure-led national leadership of the party, and Kelly Ogbaloi, who is an exco in the committee dissolved by the National Working Committee of the party.
The incident forced the state party to suspend the caretaker committee chairman over alleged gross misconduct and insubordination at a meeting of the State Working Committee which was attended by local government chairmen and secretaries of the party.
When quizzed on the drama in Edo LP, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, told The PUNCH that efforts are on to resolve the crisis.
Ifoh also expressed optimism that the conflict won’t affect the campaign of their governorship candidate in the state.
He said, “Definitely we are working to resolve the issue. It is just a family affair. The most important thing is that we have a very strong winnable candidate who has already hit the ground running and his name is ringing bell all over Edo State.
“I can assure you that the chairmanship of the party in the state is something we are going to resolve very soon. But it is not in any way obstructing our fine ongoing campaign and we hope we will be victorious at the end of the day.
“Our chances of winning the governorship are very high. The electorates are not voting for the party chairman. They are voting for a governor and we have the best-qualified candidates out of the 18 parties both in pedigree and followership. He has an organic followership that is working for him. Everybody is working to ensure he emerges the next governor of the state.”
The National Youth Leader of LP, Kennedy Ahanotu, also shared his sentiment.
Ahanotu told our correspondent that it is normal to have rift in a family, stressing that such misunderstanding will always be resolved at the end of the day.
“Labour Party is one. If there is any crisis, it is undergoing resolution. I don’t have much to discuss about Edo other than to say LP will win it. The party is a family and in every family, people will always have issues with their wives, husbands and children. But that does not remove the fact that it is a family.
“Whatever you are seeing in LP today, you cannot compare it with the rots we see in other political parties. So nothing is wrong with us. The party is fine, healthy and preparing for the off-season elections,” he stated.
Politics
Ighodalo’ V Okpebolo: PDP tenders 1000 documents at Edo Tribunal
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election, Dr Asue Ighodalo on Friday, opened his case challenging the victory of Sen. Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by tendering over 1000 documents used in the election, in support of his petition.
Ighodalo and th PDP in a petition marked EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024 are contesting Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Okpebholo, winner of the election alleging that there were irregularities during the exercise.
Ighodalo claimed that he scored the highest valid votes and not Okpebholo and wondered why the INEC would declare him the winner.
When hearing resumes on Friday, the Lead counsel to the Petitioners, Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN, tendered from the bar Certified True Copy (CTC) of Form EC8E which is the INEC’s final declaration result sheet of the poll in support of the petitioners’ cases.
Kenneth Mozia, who conducted the presentations at the instance of Oyeyipo also tendered CTC of Form EC8D; the summary of results from Local Government Areas Collation at the State Level.
Other documents tenders were Certified True Copies of Form EC8Cs, covering the 18 Local Government Areas in the state, CTC of Forms EC8B (Wards Results Sheets) used for the conduct of the election in the 192 Wards in the state were also tendered by Mozia, all in support of the petitioner’s cases.
The petitioners further tendered in evidence 320 Certified True Copies of Form EC8A documents (polling Units results sheets),
While presenting before the court 318 CTCs of INEC’s Polling Units Booklets, each containing Form EC25D, Mozia, again, tendered in court 58 CTCs of Form EC8A (IREV).
Reacting, counsel to INEC, Governor Monday Okpebholo and APC (1st to 3rd respondents), Kanu Agabi, SAN, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, and D.C. Denwigwe, SAN, who held the brief of Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the documents
The respondent’s counsel told the court that they would be abducing reasons for their objections to the petitioners’ CTC documents at the final address stage of the petition.
Justice Wilfred Kpochi led the tribunal in response provisionally admitted all the documents tendered in evidence and marked the same as exhibits.
“Learned counsel to the respondents shall state their reasons for their objections at the address stage”, Justice Kpochi held.
Hearing on the petition continues tomorrow, Saturday, December 18, 2024 as the petitioners are expected to tender more documents in support of their petitions.
Politics
Confusion at Edo Election Tribunal as APC supporters chase private security away
There was confusion at the entrance of the courtroom where the Edo state Governorship election petition Tribunal were sitting as youth leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC chased out private security men believed to have been contracted by the Governorship aspirant of the PDP in the just concluded Edo Governorship election.
The drama started at the corridor leading to the courtroom when the APC youth leaders and their supporters were prevented from gaining access, before they mobilized their supporters to chase the security men who were dressed in black away.
Speaking to newsmen, two of the APC youth leaders identified as Comrade Kelly and Tony Kabaka, said they have to chase them away as only the DSS and policemen were permitted to provide security at the court.
Meanwhile, former deputy governor of Edo state Comrade Philip Shaibu and Asue Ighodalo of the PDP were present inside the courtroom while the drama lasted.
Politics
Appeal Court affirms Abure as Labour Party’s National Chairman
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Friday, affirmed Mr. Julius Abure as the authentic National Chairman of the Labour Party, LP.
The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel, upheld the October 8, judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, today grant the LP under Abure’s leadership, all the rights and privileges accorded a political party duly registered in the country.
According to the appellate court, it found no reason to dislodge the judgement that was delivered in Abure’s favour by Justice Emeka Nwite.
It will be recalled that following a leadership crisis that rocked the LP, the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party resolved to remove Abure as the National Chairman.
To fill the leadership vacuum, the party constituted a 29-member caretaker committee, with former finance minister, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, as Chairman and Hon. Darlington Nwokocha as Secretary.
The decision was the outcome of an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party that was hosted in Umuahia by governor Alex Otti of Abia State.
The meeting where Abure was sacked from office was chaired by his former ally and candidate of the party in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi.
Dissatisfied with the decision, Abure approached the high court to validate his position as the National Chairman of the party.
In an affidavit he personally deposed to in support of the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, Abure told the court that following the death of the National Chairman of the LP, he was lawfully elected as the Acting National Chairman of the party at a National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the party that held in Benin City, Edo State, on March 29, 2021.
He told the court that on April 18, 2023, at the NEC meeting of the party held in Asaba, Delta State and duly monitored by INEC, it was resolved that tenures of State Chairmen whose tenures had expired, be renewed.
He said it was at the same meeting that some members that were engaged in anti-party activities were expelled and replacements for vacant positions created as a result of the expulsion, done.
Abure averred that in line with a consensus that was reached at the meeting, the party subsequently held its National Convention on March 27, 2024, at Nnewi, Anambra State, where we was lawfully elected to the office of National Chairman of the LP.
He said the party under his leadership produced candidates for governorship elections in both Edo and Ondo states.
According to the plaintiff, on June 28, 2024, INEC, issued to him and 18 other National Chairmen of political parties, a Notice for Inspection of Sensitive Election Materials for the Ondo and Edo state governorship polls.
However, he decried that a later notice that INEC gave for political parties to nominate two persons from their IT Unit to undertake a training on how to upload data unto INEC’s portal for the purpose of the impending Ondo state gubernatorial election, was not served on him.
Abure told the court that he became aware of the existence of the said notice of the training by INEC, on August 21, 2024, due to the fact that he is a member of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee, IPAC.
Therefore, he prayed the court to intervene by compelling INEC to acord him recognition as the National Chairman of the LP.
While granting the request, Justice Nwite held that he found merit in the case of the plaintiff.
The court equally ordered INEC to perform its lawful duty by conducting a refresher training for the upload of LP’s agents into the INEC portal and to issue the plaintiff (Abure) the Access Code required to access INEC’s portal for the Ondo Governorship Election that held on November 16, 2024.
“I am of the view that and so hold that on the basis of these cogent verifiable documents, the defendants attempt to impeach the validity of the leadership of the plaintiff fails.
“The plaintiff has proved his case.
“I hereby make an order compelling the defendant to accord the plaintiff’s political party under the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure all the rights and privileges accorded a political party duly registered in Nigeria,” Justice Nwite held.
-
News18 hours ago
How my 34-Yr-Old graduate son took his own life after NYSC Service Year – Mother
-
News24 hours ago
Police bust illegal weapons factory, arrest cultist, two murder suspects
-
News21 hours ago
Just In: TikTok to be yanked off in the US from Sunday, Supreme Court rules
-
News24 hours ago
Late Alaafin of Oyo’s daughter drags Queen Dami
-
News21 hours ago
Just in: AIG’s wife kidnapped in Ogun
-
News18 hours ago
Donald Trump’s inauguration moved indoors
-
Entertainment24 hours ago
I just asked Dami if anyone else slept with her after we broke up and she fainted – Portable breaks silence
-
News24 hours ago
Haaland signs 10-year contract with Manchester City