Labour Party Senator Victor Umeh Claims Party Lacks Leadership; Give Reasons
Victor Umeh, the Senator for Anambra Central, has stated that the Labour Party (LP) is currently without effective leadership. He made this comment during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
Umeh, a prominent figure within the LP, was addressing concerns about the ongoing leadership crisis within the party. Recently, Peter Obi, the LP’s 2023 presidential candidate, and key party members, including Abia State Governor Alex Otti, took decisive steps to address the issue.
In response to the turmoil following the controversial national convention led by Julius Abure’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Nnewi, Obi and Otti convened an expanded National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Umuahia. This meeting resulted in the appointment of former Finance Minister Senator Nenadi Usman to lead an interim NWC with a 90-day mandate to organize congresses and a national convention to elect new party officers.
However, Callistus Uju Okafor, a factional acting Chairman of the party, has rejected Usman’s appointment, calling the meeting that led to her nomination illegal and unconstitutional. Okafor has urged the public to disregard the outcomes of this meeting.
Similarly, Abure’s faction has also denounced the meeting as unlawful.
In response, Senator Umeh emphasized the absence of a legitimate executive committee, stating, “When there is no legitimate leadership in place, discussions about constitutional adherence become irrelevant. We currently do not have a valid executive committee.”
He added that those claiming authority have failed to acknowledge that their terms have expired and that the party is now in a state of leadership vacuum. Umeh defended the Abia meeting, arguing that it was necessary for party members to come together and establish new leadership in the absence of any legitimate governing body.
