The internal crisis within the Labour Party (LP) has escalated further as the party’s leadership battle moves toward a legal showdown. This conflict intensified following the appointment of an interim leadership team to replace the faction led by Julius Abure.
On Wednesday, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, alongside Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, announced a newly-formed interim leadership for the party. The move, aimed at resolving the ongoing leadership dispute, saw former Finance Minister, Nanedi Usman, named as interim Chairperson, with ex-Senate Minority Leader, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, serving as interim Secretary. This decision came after an expanded stakeholders’ meeting convened by Obi and Otti to address the protracted crisis that followed the 2023 general elections.
The interim leadership committee has been tasked with organizing party congresses at all levels, culminating in a national convention within 90 days to elect new leaders for the party.
However, the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) dismissed the formation of this interim body. Obiora Ifoh, National Publicity Secretary of the Abure faction, argued that the committee was not in line with the Labour Party’s constitution.
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“Even if we assume Abure’s tenure had expired, neither Peter Obi nor Alex Otti has the authority to convene an expanded stakeholders’ meeting to appoint new leaders for our party,” Ifoh stated. He further added that a national convention was held in Nnewi, Anambra State, on March 27, 2024, where Abure was duly re-elected, making his mandate valid.
The Abure faction is reportedly preparing to challenge this development in court, with a team of senior lawyers being assembled to take up the case. Party insiders believe the legal battle will determine whether the processes for leadership change were constitutionally followed.
Supporters of the Obi-Otti initiative, including members of the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission-led LP Transition Committee, have expressed their backing for the interim leadership, calling it a necessary step toward stabilizing the party. The Abdulwaheed Omar-led committee urged for broader inclusion of party stakeholders in the interim leadership to ensure holistic decision-making.
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