The embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Barrister Julius Abure, has accused Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate in the last election, and Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, of betrayal and intentionally creating divisions within the party.
Speaking on Monday during a national executive council (NEC) meeting at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, Abure expressed optimism that the crisis would soon be resolved.
This comes after Obi, Otti, and other party leaders held a stakeholders meeting in Umuahia, Abia State, where they appointed former Finance Minister, Mrs. Esther Nenadi Usman, as Chairperson of a 29-man caretaker committee tasked with resolving the party’s internal conflicts.
However, the Abure-led national working committee (NWC) rejected the gathering, calling it illegal.
At the NEC meeting, Abure stated, “We are at a critical juncture in the life of our party. Recent events have shown that those who should stand with us in the fight for a better, restructured, organised, and united party have chosen a different path. A path not of unity, but of division. I speak, of course, of the illegal gathering that took place in Abia State, an attempt to create a rift within our party, led by none other than His Excellency Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti.”
He made it clear that the Abia meeting lacked the authority of the National Executive Council, and he vowed to defend the leadership elected during the party’s March 2024 convention.
Abure further condemned the actions, stating, “This action was not just illegal, it was a betrayal of everything the Labour Party stands for, a reward for loyalty with ingratitude, a reward for support with insubordination.”
He warned that creating division within the party was not merely a political tactic but a dangerous game that could harm both the Labour Party and Nigeria.
Abure urged party members to stand united, saying, “We must reject the actions of those who, for their own interests, seek to weaken us.”
He reaffirmed his commitment to steering the party in the right direction, one that aligns with the aspirations of Nigerians.
