Former Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, has accused the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, of being responsible for the ongoing leadership crisis within the party.
Abure made the allegation on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s *Politics Today*, insisting that the party functioned smoothly before what he described as political interference by the duo.
According to him, the crisis began when Obi and Otti allegedly supported the formation of a caretaker committee in Umuahia, a move he claimed destabilised the party’s structure.
“Let me state clearly that Alex Otti and Peter Obi destabilised the tranquillity of the party. The Labour Party was operating without major internal conflict until they went to Umuahia to set up what I consider an illegal caretaker committee, which has now become a burden on the party’s leadership,” he said.
Abure maintained that the duo’s actions remained central to the lingering dispute, arguing that their names consistently arise whenever the party’s crisis is discussed.
He added, “As long as this matter remains unresolved, we cannot avoid discussing it. The names that come up repeatedly are Peter Obi and Alex Otti, because they are at the centre of the crisis.”
On claims regarding his status in the party, Abure dismissed suggestions that he is an outsider. Instead, he described Senator Nenadi Usman as the “interloper” within the party structure.
“I am not an interloper in the Labour Party. If anyone fits that description, it is Senator Nenadi Usman,” he stated.
The former chairman also referenced ongoing legal disputes over the party’s leadership, noting that various court rulings had previously affirmed his position following the Labour Party’s 2024 convention in Nnewi. He said both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had at different times validated his leadership.
However, he noted that fresh legal challenges instituted by the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker group had resulted in new judgments, which his faction has now taken to the Supreme Court for final determination.
“As it stands, we have appealed the latest judgment. The Electoral Act is clear on due process in pre-election matters, and we are confident that the Supreme Court will provide final clarity,” Abure said.
He added that his group remains active in party affairs while awaiting the apex court’s ruling, to avoid political exclusion during the ongoing dispute.
The Labour Party has remained divided since the 2023 general elections, with rival factions laying claim to its national leadership. The crisis has pitched Abure’s camp against a caretaker committee led by Senator Nenadi Usman, with both sides engaged in sustained legal and political battles over control of the party.
Recent court rulings, including those delivered at the Federal High Court and affirmed by the Court of Appeal, have further deepened the dispute, with both factions interpreting judgments in support of their positions.