By Mohammed Bello Doka
A fresh wave of controversy has emerged within the Labour Party (LP) as factional acting chairman Callistus Uju Okafor declared a stakeholders' meeting convened by Abia State Governor Alex Otti as unconstitutional. Okafor strongly condemned the meeting, which resulted in the appointment of Senator Nenadi Usman as the interim national chairman, describing the gathering as "an effort in futility."
In a statement issued on Wednesday and obtained by *DAILY POST* in Abuja, Okafor cited the party’s 2009 Constitution and a consent judgment delivered by Hon. GO Kolawole in 2018 to challenge the legitimacy of the meeting. According to him, the event lacked constitutional backing and should be viewed with skepticism by party supporters and Nigerians at large.
"We want to bring to the notice of the general public that the jamboree gathering tagged as the Labour Party stakeholders meeting, held in Umuahia, Abia State, is unconstitutional and not recognized by any organization of the party," Okafor declared in his statement.
He also pointed out that neither Governor Otti nor Mr. Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, possessed the constitutional authority to convene such a meeting. Okafor further challenged Otti to produce a letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) authorizing the gathering, asserting that the entire event amounted to nothing more than a "nullity."
This development marks another chapter in the growing internal tensions within the Labour Party, raising questions about leadership and authority in the party’s future direction.
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