By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Despite the intervention of Nigeria’s apex court, the Supreme Court in the crises rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), the situation in the two parties still appears hazy, investigations by the Nigerian Tribune have revealed.
Though the leadership of the two parties has hailed the decision of the Supreme Court which in separate judgments, affirmed the control of party positions by internal mechanisms of the political parties, the two parties are yet to experience any respite.
While the PDP is fretting over the determination of the true occupant of its national secretary position, the Labour Party is sweating to determine its national chairman.
Three claimants have emerged in the battle for the chairmanship of LP, while Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye are battling over who the authentic national secretary of PDP is.
In the LP, Comrade Julie’s Abure has continued to hold on to the party’s secretariat, while Senator Nenadi Usman and Lamidi Apapa are also laying claims to the party’s number one seat.
A source said that the PDP is in limbo and that the uncertainty in its affairs had forced the postponement of the zonal congresses that were scheduled to hold last weekend.
“The party is in limbo as we speak. The right side cannot move and the left too is tied down. This is what we have seen after the ruling of the Supreme Court on the National Secretary issue,” a source, adding that what looked like a straightforward case by the Supreme Court is being complicated by a lack of political will by the party.
The source said that the party was uncertain of which of the claimants to the National Secretary position should issue the electoral materials for the congresses, thus forcing a postponement.
“The Disciplinary Committee has taken a decision on the matter and a report has been submitted to the National Working Committee. As we await the decision of the NWC, the party is in limbo, no movement on the left or on the right,” a source added.
According to the source, activities of the party are virtually grounded since the March 21 ruling of the apex court on the national secretary issue.
“What the Supreme Court did is good. It means that whatever the party does is the final,” a party leader stated. He added, however, that political will appears to be lacking to take a final position on the matter.
But the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba said in an interview on that the ruling of the apex court was very clear and beneficial to party administration in the country, adding that the party’s internal mechanisms have been empowered to resolve contentious issues that might involve holders of party positions.
He said that what the court decided was that anything that has to do with party positions must be resolved through internal mechanisms of the party as according to him, the court decided not to dabble into the affairs of the parties so that the parties can run their affairs in line with their rules and regulations.
He said that the PDP was not in any desperate situation as regards the ruling, adding that “the party’s internal mechanisms will decide.”
He said: “It is like an association. Every association has its rules and regulations. If you cannot abide by the rules anymore, you leave the association. That’s what the ruling said, as it removed the matter from the jurisdiction of the courts.
“The court has resolved that some of the issues in contention might have been caused by conflicting court orders and that is welcome by us. That is why the Supreme Court has said that such issues are not justiciable. It is for the party to decide.”
While the PDP is said to be in limbo because of the delay in resolving the national secretary position, the state of the situation in the LP appears to be getting worse. Last week, three claimants to the national Chairmen of the party emerged.
Julius Abure, Nenadi Usman and Lamidi Apapa have continued to lay claim to the chairmanship of the party, even though the National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said on Thursday that those fighting Abure were only playing drama.
According to him, while the Supreme Court said clearly that it lacks jurisdiction on the matter and reverted the power to the party’s structure, some party members were playing drama by going to the office of the national electoral commission, a development he said is of no consequence.
According to him, while the ruling of the apex court handed off the issue of party leadership and quashed the judgment of the Appeal Court, it also did not affirm any other person as chairman of the party.
“What this means is that the party was returned to status quo ante. And Abure has been chairman all along until his tenure expires,” Ifoh said, adding that anybody fighting Abure is embarking on a wide goose chase.
According to him, the party leaders who went to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to submit the CTC of the Supreme Court ruling only embarked on a jolly good ride because they forgot that INEC didn’t need the CTC because the commission was a party to the suit and its lawyers were already in possession of a copy of the CTC.
“They said that the court nullified the ruling that recognised Abure as chairman, but did the court affirm any other person as chairman. What the court said is that everything should return to status quo. We had a convention that ratified Abure as national chairman and that’s where we all should return to,” Ifoh said.
He also said that at no point did the apex court sacked Abure as National Chairman, adding that the content of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment between Nenadi Usman and the Labour Party showed that Abure is the chairman.
He also criticised party leaders, including for taking a trip to INEC headquarters with a copy of the CTC.
The party’s spokesman warned that Senator Nenadi Usman and others opposing Abure have been in the voyage of misleading Nigerians with wrong interpretation of the judgment of the apex court.
He further said that the apex court did not ask Abure to vacate office saying: “There is nowhere it stated that the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure-led executive has elapsed or that Nenadi Usman and her National Caretaker Committee has been directed to take over the leadership of the Labour Party.
“The Supreme Court emphatically stated that issues within the political party are internal affairs of the party and that party supremacy must be observed.
“It is pertinent for us to state clearly that there is no vacuum in the leadership of the Labour Party. The highest organ of the party, the national convention, has in March 2024 elected its leaders in line with the constitution of the party and electoral act and their tenure is subsisting.
“Consequent upon that, any meeting convened in disregard to the constitution of the party is illegal and the outcome null and void. We are therefore warning all those involved in the illegal meeting holding in Abuja to refrain from further factionalising the party and respect the constitution of the party as we will not fail to activate the provision of the party on disciplinary actions.”
Nigerian Tribune