The management of the Labour Get together has defended the validity of its March 27, 2024 conference, saying that the absence of officers of the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee on the occasion doesn’t in any manner invalidate the election that returned its Nationwide Chairman, Julius Abure and members of the Nationwide Working Committee to workplace.
This was acknowledged on Wednesday by the Nationwide Authorized Adviser of the LP, Kehinde Edun, on the celebration’s secretariat in Abuja.
Edun’s assertion got here three days after the electoral fee introduced that none of its officers attended or monitored proceedings on the disputed conference held at Nnewi, Anambra State.
Up to now 4 months, Abure had been at loggerheads with the Nigeria Labour Congress over the legitimacy of his re-election.
The celebration’s inside rift remained unresolved because the NLC and its stakeholders continued to distance themselves from the present NWC of the celebration.
The state of affairs escalated additional when the INEC responded to a request by a lawyer for a Licensed True Copy of its report on the conference and the celebration’s structure.
Within the letter referenced INEC/DEPM/LP/CTC/885/1, dated July 18 and signed by the Appearing Secretary, Haliru Aminu, the fee declared that it couldn’t report on the conference as a result of it didn’t monitor it.
The letter, which was sighted by The PUNCH, partly learn: “The fee has acquired your request for the Licensed True Copy of the monitored report of the Labour Get together conference at Nnewi, Anambra State, held on the twenty seventh of March 2024, and the Labour Get together structure.
“The Licensed True Copy of the Labour Get together Structure has been forwarded to your agency earlier.
“Regrettably, the fee didn’t monitor the Labour Get together conference of twenty seventh March 2024 and can’t, subsequently, report on the conference.”
The place of the electoral umpire had since led to a sequence response, with the NLC insisting that it had been vindicated.
However, addressing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, Edun mentioned the INEC letter was wrongly interpreted.
In line with the nationwide authorized adviser, the presence or absence of INEC officers didn’t in any manner have an effect on the legitimacy of the nationwide conference.
He mentioned, “On the deliberate misinterpretation of the INEC’s reply to an utility by Messr Steve Adehi, SAN & Co, this letter could be very clear and unambiguous and shouldn’t have been the topic of any argument.
“Nevertheless, not discovering something to carry in opposition to us, they went to import what shouldn’t be contained within the letter into it.
“The applicant (an agent of the NLC) requested for CTC of the INEC-monitored report of the Labour Get together conference 2024 and the structure. Although the applicant and his principal have been dishonest, mischievous, doubtful and manipulative, INEC’s response was correct and unpretentious.
“How on earth may there be an INEC-monitored report when we’ve got made it clear that INEC didn’t attend, a place additionally confirmed by INEC and is within the public area? The NLC and its cronies, together with the applicant, knew INEC didn’t attend. Why then ask for the INEC report and what’s their enterprise with it?
“In paragraph 3 of the INEC’s response, the fee expressed remorse that it didn’t monitor the conference and will, subsequently, not have an INEC-monitored report. Now, did the non-attendance of INEC invalidate the conference? The reply is capital no and INEC by no means mentioned so.
“The legislation didn’t make it obligatory for INEC to attend any celebration’s conference. INEC knew they have been at liberty to come back or not. What the legislation requires is correct discover. Take be aware that the legislation didn’t say the failure of INEC to attend shall render the conference invalid. What then is the essence of the dishonest, doubtful and misconceived hue and cry by the NLC?”
The celebration’s authorized counsel mentioned it might not be intimidated or cowed by any exterior aggressor to fold its fingers and watch the celebration being hijacked.