From Tony Osauzo, Benin
Senator Neda Imasuen, representing Edo South under the Labour Party and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, has praised the Supreme Court’s decision to remove Julius Abure as the Labour Party National Chairman. He called it a welcome development.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous ruling by a five-member panel on Friday, overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision in Abuja, which had recognised Abure as the party’s National Chairman. Speaking to members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Benin over the weekend, Imasuen shared his achievements in the Senate. He also expressed dismay at how the Labour Party’s fortunes had declined under Abure’s leadership.
He said the judgment was long overdue and lamented that internal conflicts had driven many members away. “Sincerely, I also welcome the judgement. A lot has gone wrong in the Labour Party, and it’s very unfortunate too. Abure, who was the chairman at a time, in my opinion, didn’t really have the Labour Party at heart because it became a personal thing. It became more like ‘let’s fight and tear this cloth into pieces’ instead of preserving it.”
He added, “The Supreme Court putting a seal on it was a welcome development, but the question to me and all of us is, where do we go from here? Someone spoke to me on the matter, and I said I just hope it’s not a little too late. The Labour Party is almost decimated, and most of the members are gone. Will this judgement bring them back? I don’t know, and only time will tell.”
On his achievements, Senator Imasuen revealed he has awarded scholarships to 500 students at the University of Benin. Plus, he has paid JAMB fees for 200 constituents taking the exam this year and secured jobs for several others in federal agencies.
The lawmaker has also trained and empowered 500 constituents in shoe-making. Many others have received training in cocoa and rubber farming, as well as traditional birth attendance, to support pregnant women in rural areas without medical facilities.
He highlighted a bill to establish a Federal College of Education in Abudu. Other efforts include providing solar street lights for several communities, building roads, and distributing 10,000 10kg bags of rice to widows, alongside other palliatives.
Senator Imasuen said his committee has received over 300 petitions from the public. However, it has resolved only 20 due to petitioners and respondents failing to appear when summoned.
He praised President Bola Tinubu for showing courage in leadership. Responding to calls for a northern president, Imasuen insisted Tinubu must complete his eight years. He noted, “Buhari did eight years even when he didn’t perform well, and no northerner raised a voice.”