Reps caucus leadership not based on appointment, LP lawmakers tell Abure

The Labour Party caucus in the House of Representatives has laughed off the purported sack of its Chairman, Afam Ogene by the embattled National Chairman of the party, Mr Julius Abure.

Ogene, a member representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency, Anambra State, had while reacting to Friday’s Supreme Court judgment which removed Abure from office, pledged the readiness of the LP House of Representatives caucus to work with the party’s National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Nenadi Usman.

Abure, however, announced Ogene’s sack on Monday, in what may be another feud within the party’s fold.

In a statement issued by Ogene on Tuesday, on behalf of the caucus, the lawmaker elected on the platform of the Labour Party reminded Abure that it is their duty to name their leader based on personal conviction.

The statement partly read, “The Labour Party legislators have emphasised that the position of a caucus Leader is not an office based on appointment; rather the leader is chosen/elected by peers based on their own conviction of his/her leadership qualities and capacity to speak on their behalf in the overall interest of the party and the people they represent. We state this in response to several inquiries from the media and other party faithful arising from developments after the Supreme Court pronouncement sacking the LP Chairman.”

“On May 6, 2023, a 35-member Labour Party caucus in the 10th Assembly of the House of Representatives elected Hon Afam Ogene as its Leader. Ogene, a ranking member from the 7th Assembly, emerged as the Labour Party leader with 21 votes, after a keenly contested election. Although 34 members-elect of the party were present at the voting session, only 31 of them took part in the exercise, with the trio of Honourables Okey-Joe Onuakalusi, Obi Aguocha and Professor Lilian Oby Orogbu abstaining, being persons who conducted the exercise.

“So, it’s only the members of the caucus who overwhelmingly elected him, that have the right to remove him as leader, not “an authoritarian power thirsty individual that’s still battling, without much success, to extricate himself from the muddy waters of multiple allegations of malfeasance,” the caucus said in a statement signed by Ogene on Tuesday.

He added, “If Abure’s latest ill-advised tactics is because of the stand of the caucus lauding the judgement of the Supreme court, which unequivocally declared that Abure’s tenure has long lapsed, then he is way off-mark, because that remains the majority position of LP House of Representatives members – a fact that would be reinforced on Wednesday, April 9, by the number of legislators that will attend the NEC/Stakeholders meeting convened by the Party’s National Leader, Mr Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti.

“We need to let Abure know, and boldly too, that the Labour Party is a credible organisation and not a ponzi scheme … . From Ebonyi, to Plateau, Ondo, Edo (where he embarrassed the party through his undignified episodes with the police), it’s all about slush funds and compromise of the integrity of the office of a party National Chairman. Even in Anambra last week, the mention of the name Abure has continued to emit a putrid smell of financial malfeasance.

“He may wish to tell Nigerians, and the world, what is at the centre of his feud with Eze Oko Splendour of Ebonyi State, Kenneth Imasuagbon in Edo, and the aspirants that took part in last weekend’s Anambra LP gubernatorial farce. It is appalling that a man who is yet to account for party finances arising from the 2023 general elections, nor leaves any penny in the party’s account – despite raising hundreds of million naira in sale of forms and other gratifications in several off-season elections – would be so engrossed in wanting to access funds belonging to the House of Representatives caucus, which only points to the depths Abure can go…

“Ironically, no sane organ of the party would entrust the Supreme Court-sacked former national chairman with money, no matter how little, at least, until he is able to cleanse himself of the twin evil of allegations of forgery levied against him by former national treasurer of the LP, Oluchi Oparah. Funds belonging to the caucus are intact, and would only be deployed in a manner prescribed by members, not by the former chairman’s discretion. The Labour Party deserves a clean break from that integrity-deficient leadership history, to a future that all party faithful will be proud to associate with.”