EMBATTLED former National Chairman of the Labour Party, Barrister Julius Abure, has issued a sharp rebuttal to former presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti, accusing both men of deliberately fueling the internal crisis within the party.
Abure, who has faced months of leadership tussles and factional disputes, responded to recent comments by Obi, in which the former Anambra State governor alleged that the APC-led Federal Government had infiltrated the Labour Party’s leadership to destabilize it.
In a strongly worded statement signed by the National Secretary of the party, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, the Abure-led faction dismissed the claims as baseless, calling instead on Obi to take responsibility for the crisis plaguing the party.
“The current challenges in the Labour Party were not created by the ruling APC but by Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti,” the statement said. “They are the ones who unconstitutionally set up a caretaker committee in Umuahia, Abia State, thereby polarizing the party and violating established court rulings.”
The embattled chairman, who has continued to lay claim to the party after a Supreme Court ruling, accused Obi and Otti of orchestrating internal sabotage after failing in their alleged attempts to hijack the party structure ahead of the 2027 elections.
Abure also defended his record, highlighting the efforts he and the party leadership made to support Obi’s presidential campaign in 2023, including mobilization across the country and legal support during the post-election litigations.
The statement added: “Peter Obi himself admitted during the interview that Julius Abure remains the National Chairman.
“It’s time he and his supporters accept that fact and stop spreading divisive and misleading narratives.”
The Labour Party has been embroiled in leadership wrangling since early 2024, with various factions laying claim to the national structure. Despite the apex court ruling, dissenting voices have emerged.
As the crisis lingers, observers say the party must urgently reconcile its internal differences if it hopes to remain a viable third force in Nigeria’s political landscape.
