In a recent interview with Arise News from 16:54, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, representing Abia Central and serving as Secretary of the Labour Party Caretaker Committee, criticized the actions of suspended chairman Julius Abure, accusing him of circumventing democratic processes in the party. Nwokocha emphasized that the so-called convention conducted under Abure’s leadership lacked the essential ingredients of legitimacy and transparency.
According to Nwokocha, the party’s current crisis was avoidable if Abure had agreed to subject himself to the internal electoral process rather than declaring himself returned through what the senator described as a questionable convention. He expressed dismay that despite several appeals, Abure resisted calls to follow the democratic path that all party members must pass through if seeking leadership renewal.
Nwokocha clarified that neither he nor Nenadi Usman, the current caretaker chairman, harbors personal ambitions to lead the party permanently. Instead, they are focused on restoring order and ensuring that credible structures and procedures are put in place. He stressed that political parties must be guided by law, accountability, and internal democracy, and that shortcuts like “imposed conventions” would only erode public confidence in the party.
The senator warned that for any convention to be deemed valid, it must reflect a transparent process involving delegates, proper congresses at various levels, and open contests for positions. Anything short of that, he argued, is a façade that disrespects the members and electoral guidelines set by INEC and the party’s constitution.
“At a point, we told him, why don’t you allow yourself to pass through the process and contest again. For me, I don’t want to be a functionary during convention, I don’t want to contest and Nenadi would not like to contest, so why don’t you allow yourself pass through the democratic process and face the election? You cannot just come out and say you have done a convention. There are certain ingredients that must feature for you to say this is an effective convention,” Nwokocha stated.
