The Deputy Governor of Abia State, Ikechukwu Emetu, has said the Labour Party is open to receiving President Bola Tinubu, former presidential candidate Peter Obi and other political heavyweights who may wish to join the party, as it seeks to reposition itself under new leadership.
Emetu, who chairs the Labour Party’s National Steering Committee on Membership, Revalidation and e-Registration, gave the assurance on Monday during the presentation of a progress report and the formal handover to the Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee.
He was responding to questions on whether Obi would be allowed to return to the party should he fail to secure the presidential ticket of his new platform, the African Democratic Congress.
The deputy governor said the Labour Party runs an open, transparent and inclusive system, insisting that no individual is barred from joining the party, regardless of political standing or affiliation.
He said, “The Labour Party is a party for all, irrespective of who they are. The party is a national party and is not a cult group, where people will be restricted to coming into the party.”
Emetu went further to state that even President Tinubu would be welcomed if he chose to defect from the ruling All Progressives Congress.
He added, “Even Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, can decide, on or before the 2027 elections, to join the Labour Party, and we will gladly accept him.
“This is a national party; it is not a cult group where people are restricted from joining. It is a party for everybody,” Emetu declared.
On the continued resistance by the ousted National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, who has vowed to appeal the court judgment recognising the Usman-led caretaker committee, Emetu dismissed the move as inconsequential.
He said, “The only court Abure can take his appeal to now is the volleyball court. The Supreme Court judgment has also confirmed this.
“Abure is in the past now because we have moved on.”
Last month, a Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Abure’s tenure as National Chairman of the Labour Party had elapsed and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise the caretaker committee led by Usman pending the conduct of a national convention.
The ruling followed months of internal wrangling, multiple court cases and parallel leadership claims that escalated after the 2023 general elections.
While the Otti-backed faction of the party welcomed the judgment, it called for restraint and reconciliation to stabilise the opposition platform.
Abure, however, rejected the ruling and vowed to challenge it at the appellate court, cautioning INEC against aligning with the faction loyal to Abia State Governor Alex Otti.
INEC later recognised Usman as the acting National Chairman of the party, citing a subsisting court order directing it to acknowledge the caretaker committee.
Two weeks ago, Abure’s name was replaced with Usman’s on INEC’s official website.
Other officials listed by the electoral body include Senator Darlington Nwokocha as National Secretary; Hamisu Santuraki, National Treasurer; Aisha Madije, National Financial Secretary; and Eric Ifere, National Legal Adviser.
PUNCH.
