Appointment Of Interim Committee, Chairman Illegal, Unacceptable, Insists Labour Party’s Ahanotu

The Labour Party’s National Youth Leader, Kennedy Ahanotu, has described the recent appointment of an interim national leadership by a faction of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) as illegal, unconstitutional, and unacceptable. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Ahanotu faulted the appointment of Senator Usman Nenadi as Interim National Chairman and Senator Darlington Nwokocha as Interim National Secretary, insisting that the Labour Party constitution and the Electoral Act contain no provisions for the establishment of an Interim National Working Committee (INWC). He stated that the decision to appoint an interim committee is part of a pattern aimed at removing Julius Abure as the party’s National Chairman, describing it as the third attempt after previous efforts involving a Transition Committee and a Caretaker Committee. “There is no portion of the Labour Party constitution or the Electoral Act that provides for the appointment of an interim national chairman or an interim national working committee. This is the third time this same group is attempting to remove our chairman illegally,” he said. Ahanotu also questioned the credibility of the NEC meeting where the interim leadership was appointed, noting that it was chaired by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, whom he claimed remains suspended from the party. He argued that the meeting lacked the presence of statutory NEC members and any decisions taken during the gathering were null and void. He accused those behind the move of trying to hijack the party through unconstitutional means, warning that such actions could have serious implications for the future of the party. Ahanotu cited a recent Supreme Court judgment which, according to him, reinforces the principle that party leadership issues must be handled internally and in line with the party’s constitution. “INEC cannot remove Abure, and no group can impose leaders on our party through an illegal process. Internal party matters must be resolved according to the Labour Party constitution,” he said. Ahanotu reaffirmed Julius Abure’s position as the legitimate National Chairman of the Labour Party and dismissed the interim appointments as a desperate attempt by new entrants to hijack the party. He maintained that those defending the constitution of the party were not responsible for the ongoing crisis. “We are not the ones destroying the party. It is those who want to impose leaders without following the law who are creating this crisis. We are simply defending the Labour Party’s constitution and the will of its members,” he added.