Anambra 2025: Confusion in Labour Party — primary suspended indefinitely —chieftain. No, primary holds Saturday —Aspirant

There is palpable confusion in the Anambra State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) ahead of the governorship election coming up in November following the ruling of the Supreme Court on April 4, 2025.

The apex court had, on Friday, struck out the suit involving Nenadi Usman and the embattled party chairman, Barrister Julius Abure.

The court held that only political parties can determine who their leaders are.

It also said that the courts should not dabble into the affairs of political parties.

With that judgement, Barrister Abure remains the National Chairman of the party.

Party members want governorship primary suspended indefinitely

However, the judgement did not go down well with some members of the party, especially in Anambra State.

Some party members in Anambra claimed that 2025 governorship primary slated for Saturday has been suspended indefinitely.

The suspension, they claimed, was consequent upon Friday’s afternoon long awaited verdict of the Supreme Court.

The verdict was seen as ‘throwing an irredeemable spanner in the works of the party leadership hitherto under Barrister Abure.

The party members insisted that the court ordered him to vacate the party Secretariat along with his executives at all levels.

One such person, the Anambra State LP acting chairman, Comrade Peter Okoye, in an interview with The Guardian in Awka on Friday, disclosed that the governorship primary earlier fixed for April 5, 2025, will no longer hold.

He said: “By virtue of the Supreme Court’s verdict this afternoon, any primary election conducted by any executive outside that led by Senator Nenadi Usman will not stand.

“The new helmsman and her team would take over the National Secretariat and other structures down the line nationwide immediately.”

Okoye stated that he has already fixed a meeting of the acting state executive for Saturday to formulate a way forward.

He urged all teeming members and supporters to remain steadfast and unshaken in their support.

Okoye noted that in due course things would be normalized, describing LP as the fastest growing party in Nigeria, especially Anambra.

He further urged every member/stakeholder to be ever alert, while awaiting further directives.

When contacted, however, two party stalwarts insisted that the show must go on Saturday and that nothing will stop it.

Muoghalu, Orajiekwe kick

Governorship aspirant, Chief George Muoghalu, during a telephone interview with Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) on Friday, made the confirmation without mincing words.

Chief Muoghalu said: “It’s holding tomorrow; primary is holding tomorrow. Don’t listen to anybody to the contrary.”

Another party chieftain, Mr. Chris Orajiekwe, when asked to confirm if the party put off its primaries, also towed the line of Muoghalu.

He said: “No, we’re going ahead. We didn’t put off anything. Putting it off will be going against INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) deadline.

“They’ve given us deadline, alright. When they put it off, then the deadline would meet you.

“Nobody has said that,” he concluded.

Publicity Secretary hails Supreme Court judgement

In the meantime, reacting to the Supreme Court ruling, LP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Obiora Ifoh, hailed the judgement.

In a statement, Mr. Ifoh noted that the judgement primarily affirmed Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.

He further hailed the clause that said the matter is purely an internal affair of the party that courts have no business to dabble into.

He said: The Supreme Court today, April 4, 2025 gave a judgement in the cases brought against the Labour Party.

“In its judgement, the court said the matter is purely an internal affairs of the political party of which courts have no business to dabble into them.

“The Supreme Court insists that the lower courts should have declined jurisdiction and shouldn’t have made pronouncement on the leadership of a political party.

“It therefore struck out Senator Nenadi Usman’s appeal at the Appeal Court and the Labour Party suit at the trial court.

“The supreme court judgment didn’t sack Labour Party national chairman Barrister Julius Abure.

“Rather, it rightly upheld the preceding and accumulated high courts and appeal court judgments upholding the immutability of responsibility of Labour Party structures to choose its leaders.

“The judgement did not also set aside the Appeal Court judgement in Labour Party vs Ebiseni and 2 others (CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024) delivered on the 13 November 2024 which affirmed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.

“The judgement is still valid and subsisting and has not been appealed.

The implication is very clear. Barrister Julius Abure remains Labour Party national chairman.

“The question is: who are the leaders of the party? The party constitution is clear as who are the leaders of the party.

“The leadership of the party has been the National Working Committee led by Barrister Julius Abure.

“The party constitution is also clear on who has the power to call for the national convention or any national meeting,” he added.

2024 national convention saga

Ifo further went down memory lane, narrating how the party leadership convoked a national convention on March 27, 2024.

It was at the national convention that the leaders of the party emerged.

The report of the national convention, according to Ifoh, is domiciled with the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC).

He also pointed out that the Abure leadership is recognized by INEC.

He, therefore, denounced “the gathering of people in Umuahia”, saying that it is clearly not in line with the constitution.

Ifoh expressed satisfaction with the leadership of the party and with the judgement of the apex court.

He called on all “true members” of the party to abide by the judgement of the apex court, and to always resort to internal party mechanism in resolving party affairs and “not to always rush to the court”.

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook