A faction of the Labour Party says Julius Abure remains the party’s national chairman and will continue in office until 2028.
This was contained in a statement on Tuesday signed by Aju Elumelu-James, his Special Adviser on Media and Strategic Communications.
The Abure-led faction said the clarification became necessary because “a flurry of conflicting narratives has flooded the public space regarding the leadership of the Labour Party, particularly concerning the tenure of Barrister Julius Abure.”
The statement noted that although the leadership dispute is currently before the Court of Appeal, “the ongoing judicial process does not justify the distortion of verifiable constitutional facts.”
According to the faction, Abure was elected on March 29, 2021, to complete the tenure of Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, the late national chairman after a national executive council meeting convened by acting chairman Maria Lebeke.
It added that before the expiration of the tenure in June 2023, a NEC meeting held in Asaba in April 2023 extended the leadership by one year.
The statement further explained that a national convention held on March 27, 2024 in Nnewi produced the current leadership.
It said “following the March 2024 convention, his tenure is expected to run until 2028.”
Dismissing claims that Abure’s tenure had expired, the faction described such assertions as “fallacious, misleading, and mischievous.”
The statement also clarified that the supreme court did not delve into the issue of party leadership or the validity of the convention held in Nnewi.
It added that the court only held that party leadership matters are internal affairs.
