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Labor Party (LP) national communications director Obiora Ifor challenges the court order by the party’s former presidential candidate Peter Obi and state governor Alex Otti confirming Julius Habre as the party’s national chairman. It’s a shame, he said.
Mr Ifor made this submission during an interview session published by Punch magazine on Thursday.
He said it would be unreasonable for Obi and Otti to appeal the judgment because they were not parties to the lawsuit in the first place, and that any move to appeal the court’s judgment would show that they are power holders. insisted.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, has ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must formally recognize Julius Habre as the rightful chairman of the Labor Party. I want you to remember that.
In a judgment handed down last Tuesday, Justice Nwaito confirmed the leadership of the Abure faction of the party, justified the March 2024 Nnewi convention that established the current national leadership, and granted this authority to INEC. I instructed him to do so.
However, Labor loyalists to Peter Obi rejected the court’s ruling and vowed to appeal.
Speaking on the possibility of an appeal, Mr. Ifor urged Mr. Obi and other members of his team to abandon such thoughts and follow Mr. Habre’s lead in the interest of the party.
He added that Julius Habre’s term will not expire until 2028.
In his words: “It would be a shame if they followed that line, as you cannot appeal a judgment to which you are not a party. The interim committee is not a body as it is known in the Labor Party’s constitution. No. It is a body that is not even known in the electoral law or the Nigerian Constitution. So they did not even have a trace. This case was between the Labor Party and INEC. , you cannot appeal to something that you are not involved in.
“There are so many instances in Nigerian law where it says that if you are not a party to the lawsuit, you cannot appeal. So they have an alternative and may be able to start a new lawsuit. Like I said, their name isn’t even recognized by the law. It’s not even in the constitution. So how do they get started one morning? It’s not just about lining up some names and saying who will listen to you. So they don’t have a trajectory. But that's not the point.
“The important thing is that the Labor Party is here, we have had our fair share of crises, and they have been resolved firmly in the interests of the Labor Party. If they had argued that it was not recognized, so they were withdrawing and forming a transition committee, now the court has said that this party is recognized.So there is a need for an appeal. What does that mean? They already have an intention to seize power. When I say they have an intention, it means that INEC has said that this leadership is not acceptable. No,” he said, acknowledging this leadership. Why not stand in line and grow your party? What are the reasons for their objections and appeals? Is it because they don’t like the leadership and want to have their own leadership? So this is how some politicians think, and we’re trying to change that. If you don’t like the leadership, you have to wait until the end of your term in four years.
“For now, Julius Habre’s leadership will expire in 2028. That’s what the law says.”
