By Angela Atabo

Labour Party state chairmen say they did not sack Julius Abure as Chairman of the party, insisting that he (Abure) remains the recognised National Chairman of Labour Party (LP).

The state chairmen of the party in Abuja took back the party secretariat which was alleged to have been taken over by thugs who seized and sealed the office on April 6.

Mr Ogbaloi Kelly, Chairman, Edo State LP, said that the National Working Committee (NWC) is a subordinate organ to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

“Therefore, when a faction of it is comes to take laws into its hands, it becomes a total nullity.

“Those who are taking this action are members of the party who have since been suspended, and as at the time they took this action, their suspension had not been lifted.

“Therefore, we are saying here that the 36 state chairmen have come to retake their possession.

“These miscreants who took over the office do not have the authority to control this matter, but we here have the authority and law to be in charge of the party and we affirm Abure.”

Kelly said that even the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) affirmed Abure as the chairman in their communique .

“We have come here to tell the world that the action of this faction is a total nullity and should be disregarded because the action does not follow the content of the rules and constitution of the Labour Party.”

Mr Cashmir Agbo, Chairman, Enugu State Labour Party, said that there was the need for party members to be guided by the rules and laws of the Constitutional provisions and the laws of the land and the party.

“The position of the party and the mechanism in the resolution of crises are very clear. In the constitution, you have to exhaust that mechanism in court.

“You go to court and obtain a court order and you want to enforce that order by yourself.

“What am saying in effect is this that they mixed criminality with civil process and the court that gave them that order endangered law.”

Agbo blamed the crisis on those that do not want LP to challenge the presidential election in court, adding “we are challenging the outcome of INEC’s result, they should allow the court process to finish.

“What they are doing is to enforce their will and distract and force labour party nationwide to withdraw the case in court.”

Agbo said that Abure remains the authentic Chairman of Labour Party in Nigeria and there was no body except the National Executive Committee that could remove him.