Labour Party National Executive Council (NEC) held a meeting on Wednesday and suspended 12 members, including the Acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifo, and one of the spokespersons for the Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, for alleged anti-party activities and unruly behavior against the Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa-led Labour Party leadership.
The decision was contained in a communique issued at the end of the meeting, which was held in Bauchi State, North Central Nigeria. The suspended members were accused of issuing a statement without the authority of the party.
In addition to the 12 suspensions, the party also suspended all National Working Committee (NWC) members and States Chairmen and Secretaries that attended an NEC meeting convened by Barr Julius Abure on April 18, 2023, in Asaba, Delta State, over what it described as contempt of the Federal Capital Territory High Court Order that restrained Abure from parading himself as the national chairman of the party.
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The party further reaffirmed and upheld the decision of the Ogun State executive of Labour Party that earlier expelled 15 members for failing to pay their membership dues for over six months, thus contravening Articles 9 (3) of LP constitution 2019 as amended and forfeiting their membership.
The party also constituted a five-man disciplinary Committee, chaired by Prince Favour Reuben, with Hussaine Saraki as the Secretary. Other members of the committee are Comrade Eze Oko Splendor, Mr. Gbenga Daramola, and Alh. Lawan Saleh.
The committee is expected to investigate the suspended members for fraudulent and anti-party activities over their conduct during the 15th April 2023 Gubernatorial primaries in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states, directed by Barr Julius Abure and Umar Farouk Ibrahim, who were parading themselves as National Chairman and National Secretary. The party recommended that the suspended members be subjected to disciplinary actions.
