LP crisis deepens as legal adviser nullifies Rivers exco dissolution

The internal crisis rocking the Labour Party resurfaced on Thursday when its National Legal Adviser, Akingbade Oyelekan, dismissed the alleged dissolution of the party’s executive council in Rivers State. Oyelekan told journalists in Abuja that the decision was faulty and would not stand, emphasizing that the proper constitutional procedures had not been followed.

According to reports, Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for the LP Presidential Campaign Council, issued a statement claiming he had dissolved the Rivers State executive council over alleged anti‑party activities and corruption. Oyelekan countered that Okonkwo is not a member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and therefore lacks the authority to dissolve party executives. He explained that only the National Secretary or the National Publicity Secretary of the NWC are constitutionally empowered to make such announcements.

Oyelekan clarified the required process: a disciplinary committee must first hear the allegations and the accused’s response, then recommend appropriate measures to the NWC. No such committee was convened in this case. Moreover, Okonkwo holds no executive position at any level of the party—state, local, or national—so he cannot speak on behalf of the NWC. In the absence of the National Publicity Secretary, the National Secretary would convey the message, not a campaign council spokesperson.

He also stressed the distinction between the Labour Party and its Presidential Campaign Council. Although the PCC operates under the party, its spokesman does not represent the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee. All official party communications must come from the party’s own structures, specifically the Publicity Secretary or the National Secretary, who are legally empowered to do so.

Oyelekan warned Okonkwo against meddling in the party’s internal affairs, asserting that the Rivers State executive remains constitutionally valid until the correct procedures are followed. Supporting this view, Labour Party’s National Vice President for the South‑South, Prince Favour Reuben, declared the purported dissolution “null and void.” He noted that the decision originated from the PCC, not the NWC, and affirmed that the Rivers State executives continue to stand.