Caucus leadership not by appointment, Labour Party Reps tell Abure

The Labour Party Caucus in the House of Representatives has described as laughable the purported appointment of another lawmaker as the caucus leader by the former National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Labour Party Caucus Chairman, Rep. Afam Ogene, in Abuja on Tuesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Abure had, in a statement on Monday, condemned the activities of the caucus chairman and consequently announced his replacement with Rep. Ben Etanebe.

NAN also reports that Abure’s action was in response to the recent Supreme Court judgment which sacked him.

However, Ogene, in the statement, said that the position of a caucus leader was not based on appointment, but election by colleagues based on their conviction of his/her leadership qualities.

He said that leadership selection was based on the capacity to speak and act in the overall interest of the party and the people they represent.

“On May 6, 2023, a 35-member Labour Party caucus in the 10th Assembly of the House of Representatives elected Hon. Afam Victor 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,” he said.

The lawmaker said that it was only the members of the caucus who overwhelmingly elected him that had the right to remove him as leader.

“If Abure’s latest ill-advised tactics is because of the stand of the caucus lauding the judgment of the Supreme Court, which unequivocally declared that Abure’s tenure has long lapsed, then he is way off-mark.

“This is 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 Labour Party is a credible organisation and not a ponzi scheme, because sadly, everything about his leadership style is all about forgery, money and more money,” he said.

Ogene alleged that Abure had embarrassed the party at many fronts, ranging from Ebonyi, Plateau, Ondo and Edo, by his lack of dignifying conducts and gluttony.

“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,” he said.

Ogene said it was appalling that Abure had neither accounted for the party’s finances arising from the 2023 general elections nor left any penny in its account, despite raising millions of naira in sale of forms and other gratifications in several off-season elections.

He accused Abure of being engrossed in having to access to the funds belonging to the House of Representatives caucus.

This, the caucus chairman said, only pointed to the depth to which Abure could go in search of free funds to fund his new-found lifestyle.

“Ironically, no sane organ of the party would entrust the Supreme Court-sacked former national chairman with money, no matter how little.

“Funds belonging to the caucus are intact, and would only be deployed in a manner prescribed by members, not at the former chairman’s discretion.

“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,” Ogene said.