The Conference Of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called for the resignation of embattled national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure.
Speaking over the weekend, CNPP accused stakeholders of the party of mishandling the leadership tussle.
In the statement, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, James Ezema, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for standing firm against apparent attempts to manipulate its officials into endorsing the results of the recent controversial national convention of the party.
Highlighting the prevalent lack of internal democracy in many Nigerian political parties, the statement praised INEC for upholding democratic principles by refusing to bow to pressure to validate the outcomes of the recent factional national convention.
He urged Abure to, at this critical juncture, step down and become the hero of the moment.
The statement said: “Therefore, we call on Barrister Julius Abure to make himself the hero in the crisis by tendering his immediate resignation as the National Chairman of the party.”
It is worth mentioning that Nigeria is expected to function as a liberal democracy, where all democrats and democratic institutions should actively promote inclusive representation, the rule of law, and the safeguarding of the rights and freedoms of individuals within political parties.
The statement said that the judgment of the Federal High Court in suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/866/2014 between Labour Party and 3 Ors. vs. Com. Salisu Muhammed, unequivocally declared the Labour Party as an institutional political party founded, promoted, and registered by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on behalf of the Nigerian Workers.
The CNPP pointed out that the Julius Abure faction of the party made a mistake by organizing the national convention of the Labour Party without following the requirements of a court order.
By excluding NLC and other important stakeholders from the decision-making process, they failed to conduct a fair and comprehensive exercise.
This action was criticized as a misstep, especially considering that the former national chairman of the Labour Party, Dan Nwanyanwu, had previously handed over the party’s registration certificate to the NLC. The CNPP emphasized that the ongoing leadership crisis within the Labour Party could have been avoided if democratic principles such as inclusivity, justice, and accountability were respected.
