Except the crisis trailing the March 27 national convention of the Labour Party is quickly resolved, the party may not field any candidate in the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State, or any other subsequent elections to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This is because, in the eye of the law, Labour Party has no validly elected national chairman.
Labour Party held a disputed elective national convention in Nnewi, Anambra State last week, where Julius Abure and other National Working Committee (NWC) members were elected.
The Electoral Act gives the party’s National Chairman and Secretary, the power to sign every correspondence with INEC, including nomination forms of candidates for elections.
Section 29 of the Electoral Act, says every political party shall, “submit to the commission, in the prescribed forms, the list of the candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the elections, who must have emerged from valid primaries conducted by the political party.”
INEC gave political parties wishing to field candidate in the November 16 Ondo governorship between April 1 to 27, to conduct primaries and between April 29 and May 20, to submit list of nominated candidates.
Apart from failing to meet the needs of its stakeholders, the convention was not monitored by INEC, in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
Section 82 (2) of the Act, said INEC “may, with or without prior notice to the political party attend and observe any convention, congress, conference or meeting, which is convened by a political party for the purpose of: (a) electing members of its executive committees or other governing bodies…”
Subsection (3) also states that, “The election of members of the executive committee or other governing body of a political party, including the election to fill a vacant position in any of the aforesaid bodies, shall be conducted in a democratic manner and allowing for all members of the party or duly elected delegates to vote in support of a candidate of their choice.”
There were protests by some members of the party, including the Political Commission of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), that no congresses were conducted for the purpose of electing party delegates to the convention.
In the 2019 general election, INEC disqualified all the governorship, as well as the National and House of Assembly candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for invalid nomination.
Then INEC’s acting secretary, Okechukwu Ndache, in a memo to the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, said the party conducted its primaries for the election of candidates for the 2019 election, outside the timeframe allowed by the Electoral Act.
Said Ndache, “…report received from our office in Zamfafa State shows that no primaries were conducted by your party in the state, notwithstanding that our officials were fully mobilised and deployed.
“For clarity, our position is that the APC will not be fielding candidates for the governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections in Zamfara State for the 2019 general elections.”
Mary Nkem, Director, Voter Education and Publicity of INEC, admitted in telephone interview with Sunday Telegraph, that INEC did not monitor the Labour Party convention.
Said she: “INEC did not monitor the convention. That is what I can tell you now.”
When asked why the commission was absent and whether its failure to monitor the convention invalidated the election of the party’s national officers, Nkem said it was not within her powers to determine that, but promised to find out from the election monitoring department why it didn’t monitor the convention.
However, Labour Party said it gave the electoral body more than 21 days’ notice required by law, for the conduct of a convention.
The party in a letter made available by the National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, dated December 4, 2023, which was signed by Julius Abure and Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively, told the electoral body that it was planning to hold its national convention in Benin, the Edo State capital on March 29, 2024.
The convention was later held in Nnewi, Anambra State on March 27. There was no counter letter from the party to the commission regarding change of date and venue.
INEC had warned parties against frequent change in proposed date and venue of primaries and convention as “The commission cannot mobilise, demobilise and remobilise our officials for the monitoring primaries at the convenience of political parties.”
There was no immediate reasons why the party changed venue of the convention from Benin City to Umuahia and finally Nnewi.
Sunday Telegraph had earlier reported that Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, who is the only governor elected on LP platform, said he would not host the convention except all the stakeholders were carried along.
Otti, and the party national leader, Mr. Peter Obi, were absent at the convention. Obi later said on his X handle on Friday that did not attend because party leaders failed to consult widely.
Meanwhile, not less than 16 aspirants are jostling for the tickets of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the April primaries and November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.
In the opposition PDP, a former Deputy Governor, Hon Agboola Alfred Ajayi; Prince John Ola Mafo, and Secretary of Afenifere, Chief Sola Ebiseeni, are interested in the ticket of the party.
Others in the opposition included Bosun Arejuwa, Otunba Bamidele Akingboye, Engr Deolu Akinwumi, and a two-term member of the House of Representatives, Hon Victor Kolade Akinjo.
The seven aspirants have been cleared by the national secretariat of the party to participate in the primary of the party fixed for April 25.
However, the APC, which began the sale of forms for its aspirants on Wednesday last week has seen some of the contestants obtaining nomination and expression of interest forms.
Some of those who have obtained forms included former Commissioner for Finance, Hon Wale Akinterinwa; former representative of the state on the Board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Hon. Gbenga Edema; two-time governorship candidate, Chief Olusola Oke; a two-term member of House of Representatives, Hon Mayowa Akinfolarin; Mrs. Funmi Adekojo, and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.
Although the incumbent governor, Hon Lucky Aiyedatiwa, is yet to obtain the form for election, indications emerged that he would contest the election.
Others, who have shown interest but have not obtained forms included the National Vice Chairman of APC in the Southwest, Hon Isaacs Kekemeke, and a member of the House of Representatives, Hon.Jimi Odimayo.
Also on the list is Dr. Olamide Ohunyeye, a retired Brigadier General.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) said 19 parties have notified the commission about the conduct of their primaries for the governorship election in the state.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC in Ondo State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, disclosed this during a meeting with the representatives of political parties at the Commission’s office in Akure.
The political parties that have notified INEC include the APC, PDP, Accord Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, African Democratic Congress, ADC, African Democratic Party, ADP, and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Others are Allied Peoples Movement, APM), Action Peoples Party, Boot Party, Labour Party, LP, New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, National Rescue Movement, Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Social Democratic Party, SDP, Youth Party, Young Progressives Party, YPP and Zenith Labour Party, ZLP.
The REC noted that the commission received notification from the political parties for the conduct of primaries for the governorship election exercise billed to commence from April 6 to 27.
The meeting, which she said was an opportunity to engage with political parties on the upcoming party primaries represented a critical juncture in the democratic journey in the state, stressing that the role of political parties in ensuring the success and integrity of the process cannot be overemphasized.
Mrs. Babalola urged all parties to adhere strictly to their guidelines, rules, and regulations set out in their constitutions as well all electoral laws in conduct of their primaries next month.