By Our Reporter
Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory, publicly endorsed the 29-member caretaker committee formed by Labour Party leaders Peter Obi, Abia Governor Alex Otti, and other stakeholders. The committee was established to oversee the organization of a national convention.
Kingibe’s endorsement came during the launch of a four-day free medical outreach in Abuja, which she organized in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. The outreach offered eye tests, free treatments, and cataract referrals to numerous participants.
Represented by her senior legislative aide, Dr. Chris Omofoma, Kingibe said the tenure of Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure and his National Working Committee (NWC) expired in June 2023. She criticized Abure and his supporters for not acknowledging this fact.
Kingibe noted that although Otti and Obi had previously requested a one-year extension of Abure’s tenure to help the party recover from the 2023 presidential election loss, this extension ended on June 8, 2024.
The recent enlarged stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia, called by Governor Otti to address the leadership crisis, was attended by key party figures, but Abure, National Secretary Umar Farouk, and National Youth Leader Kennedy Ahanotu were notably absent. The Abure-led NWC has rejected the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee, deeming it “null and void.”
Kingibe asserted, “There is no real crisis in Labour. Abure’s NWC is refusing to accept that their tenure has ended. Even INEC has confirmed that Abure’s term concluded in June 2023. Otti and Obi extended it by a year to help the party recover from the election loss, but this extension has now lapsed.”
She continued, “The actions taken by Otti, Obi, and other stakeholders are in accordance with the party’s constitution and INEC guidelines. Abure must accept that his tenure is over and allow necessary steps to be taken.”
Kingibe fully supports the Nenadi Usman-led committee, emphasizing it as the appropriate path forward and labeling any opposition from the Abure-led NWC as illegal.
The senator also highlighted the success of Tuesday’s medical outreach, aimed at providing essential services to 5,000 constituents in the FCT.