Nonsochukwu Uwa, Owerri
The Labour Party, LP, factional governorship candidate in Imo State, Rt Hon. Ike Ibe, elected by the Ambrose Onyekwere-led state leadership, on Monday, said the LP, constitution should be obeyed, arguing that the state leadership and not the national leadership of the party, ought to have conducted the governorship primary.
He made this known in Owerri while reacting to the legal battle over who is the authentic Imo governorship candidate of the Labour Party.
He noted that “a federal high court has reserved judgment on this matter, and no date has been fixed.”
“The four factional candidates of the Labour Party are in court. We joined all the candidates. Athan Achonu, Basil Maduka, Joseph Ukaegbu, and myself. The party, Labour Party, and INEC were also joined. So, when they will make a judgment it will be all-encompassing.
“You know the Ambrose Onyekwere-led executive, you know they have a subsisting court order that says the status quo remains until the matter they filed is disposed of. As regards that they are the legitimate executives that were supposed to conduct the primary as per the court order. They conducted their primary that elected me as their governorship candidate in a different process.”
“The party’s constitution is different from APC and PDP, that says only the national that can conduct primary. But the Labour Party says it is the state that conducts the primary. The role of the national is to give regulations and issue dates of the primary,” he added.
Recall that Senator Athan Achonu’s name has been published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Joseph Ukaegbu, was favoured by the judgment of the federal high court in Bayelsa State, as the authentic Imo governorship candidate of Labour Party.
On the other side, Mr. Basil Maduka is now in court in the battle to win the Labour Party Imo governorship ticket.
