Imo State factional leadership of Labour Party, LP, led by Callistus Ihejiagwa, has warned its members not to partake in any party activity not authorized by the leadership.
The warning stemmed from what the party revealed as an alleged plan to conduct Ward, LGA, and State Congresses allegedly scheduled to commence on March, 26, 2026, by Nenadi Usman and Darlington Nwokocha leadership against an existing leadership.
The party, through its Chairman, Ihejiagwa, said that LP in the State considered it imperative also in the interest of legality and preservation of democratic structures within the Party, to set the records straight.
The Ihejiagwa-led faction said that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has in a letter dated February 16, 2026, allegedly declined to accede to the said dissolution of the State, LGA, and Ward Executive Committees of the Party across the Federation.
He pointed out that since INEC did not disqualify the congresses conducted by his leadership, any subsequent actions, including the convening of meetings and scheduling of congresses of any kind remain legally unsustainable.
“We are aware of the claim that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commissionz INEC, attended the purported National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of 17th March, 2026, and that such presence validates the said meeting and its decisions.
“This argument is legally misconceived.
INEC’s role is that of a regulator and observer, not a validator of illegality.
“The presence of INEC officials at any gathering does not confer legality, authority or constitutional validity on such meeting.
“The validity of any NEC meeting depends on strict compliance with the Constitution of the Party and the Electoral Act, including, proper statutory notice, lawful authority to convene, and
the existence of quorum,” he added.
The LP factional State Chairman maintained that where those conditions are absent, the meeting is incompetent in law, and its decisions are null and void, regardless of INEC’s presence.
On the issue of the proposed congresses, Ihejiagwa insisted that the congresses suffer multiple defects.
“Going by her purported NEC meeting of 17th March, 2026, the scheduling of congresses to commence on 26th March, 2026 falls short of the 21 days mandatory statutory notice period required under the Electoral Act.
“The law mandates that a political party must transmit its membership register both hard and soft copies to INEC before conducting congresses.
“There is no record whatsoever that Sen. Nenadi Usman or her group has complied with this mandatory requirement.
“This raises a fundamental question.
“On what membership register are these purported congresses to be conducted?
“The Electoral Act made it abundantly clear that failure to comply with this provision renders the entire exercise null and void,” he argued.
Ihejiagwa further maintained that the State, LGA and Ward Executive Committees of the party elected at INEC monitored Congresses held on December, 2, 4, and 6, 2025 remain valid.
“So long as the tenure of these duly elected executives has not expired and has not been lawfully terminated through due process in accordance with the Constitution of the Party or set aside by a specific and express order of Court of competent jurisdiction, there exists no vacancy whatsoever to justify the conduct of fresh congresses.
“Nenadi Usman and her cohorts should be made to understand that they cannot validly conduct congresses to replace structures that are still subsisting and have not been lawfully removed.
“Any attempt to do so amounts to an unlawful effort to subvert and torpedo existing democratic structures through the back door, and cannot stand in law,” he said.
Imo LP factional leadership warns members not to participate in any congress