The factional National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure, has accused Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti of creating the leadership crisis currently rocking the party.
Abure made the allegation on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, where he dismissed claims that he was working to undermine the Labour Party or acting in the interest of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He disclosed that the crisis in the party did not stem from internal disagreements but from what he described as the establishment of a parallel leadership structure by Obi and Otti.
“The crisis in the party was created by Alex Otti and Peter Obi themselves when they went to Umuahia to create a caretaker committee that has become an albatross to the party,” Abure said.
He maintained that while disagreements existed within the party, they were internal issues that could have been resolved without creating what he described as a parallel national leadership.
“The party never had a parallel group. We never had a crisis in the party. We had disagreements, no doubt. Every political party has that. But it was Alex Otti and Peter Obi who went to Umuahia to create a caretaker committee that became an albatross to the party,” he noted.
Abure rejected allegations that he was acting as a spoiler for the APC, arguing that his actions demonstrated commitment to the LP’s success.
He recalled that at the party’s convention in Nnewi, where his executive emerged, the leadership unanimously adopted Peter Obi as the party’s sole presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
“Somebody who is playing the role of a spoiler for the APC would not appoint Peter Obi as the sole presidential candidate for 2027. We agreed at that convention that Peter Obi should be the sole presidential candidate,” he stated.
He further insisted that those accusing him of working for the APC would eventually be exposed when preparations for the 2027 elections commence.
Abure also questioned why the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) currently recognises Senator Nenadi Usman as the party’s National Chairman on its website despite the leadership dispute remaining before the Supreme Court.
According to him, although a court judgment delivered in January directed INEC to recognise Usman, the decision has been appealed and remains the subject of ongoing litigation.
“Not until the Supreme Court decides what the position is, the situation remains, and that is why we have continued to question why their names should be on the website when the final court in the land has not decided the matter,” he stressed.
Reflecting on his tenure, Abure argued that he transformed the party into a major political force by investing his personal resources and attracting credible candidates ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“I promoted the party, spent my time, spent my energy, spent my resources, gave people free tickets and looked for credible Nigerians to run on the platform of the party. The party became big in my time,” he asserted.
He lamented that shortly after many candidates won elections on the party’s platform, some of them sought to remove the existing National Working Committee instead of building on the momentum generated by the 2023 elections.
“It is easy to give the dog a bad name in order to hang it. We should put the records straight and properly place the blame on those who created the crisis. We are the victims of this situation,” Abure said.
The Labour Party has remained embroiled in a prolonged leadership tussle, with rival factions laying claim to the party’s national leadership while the legal battle over its control continues.
