LP Crisis: Obi, Abure factions convene separate NEC meetings after s’court judgment
…Abure-Led Faction Threatens To Sanction Obi, Otti
….No vacancy in LP leadership – Abure
…Allow peace to reign, Obi tells Abure
Julius Abure, the factional national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), and Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, have called for separate national executive committee (NEC) meetings.
The meetings, scheduled to discuss the future of the party, come after the supreme court’s judgment that nullified the verdict of the court of appeal.
The appellate court had recognised Abure as the national chairman of the party.
On April 4, the apex court set aside the judgment of the lower court and held that the issue of leadership is an internal affair of a party over which courts lack jurisdiction.
On the heels of this development, Obiora Ifoh, the party’s national publicity secretary, announced Abure’s meeting in a statement on Monday.
He said the meeting is currently taking place at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja.
In contrast, Obi, alongside Alex Otti, governor of Abia, called for a stakeholders’ summit at a different venue scheduled to hold on Wednesday, April 9.
Obi and Otti issued the invitation for a stakeholders’ engagement in a terse statement on Monday.
“The two leading figures of the Labour Party, the 2023 presidential flag bearer Peter Obi and the sole state governor of the party, Alex Otti of Abia State, have summoned the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party in Abuja on Wednesday, April 9, 2025,” the statement signed by Ibrahim Umar reads.
Umar said the NEC meeting would be followed by an interactive town hall engagement at Transcorp Hilton Hotel.
He added that key stakeholders, including “the vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 election, serving and former senators, and LP candidates from the 2023 election” would attend Wednesday’s meeting.
When Salient Times reached out to Ifoh, he said the NEC meeting organised by Obi and Otti is “unlawful”.
“It is an unlawful NEC. The proper LP NEC meeting is ongoing now,” he said.
Both factions of the party have claimed victory since the apex court’s ruling.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure on Monday warned there is no vacuum in the party’s leadership.
Abure issued the warning ahead of the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting called by LP’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti of Abia State.
Speaking at a public conference at the party secretariat, Abure described Obi and Otti as betrayals.
He noted that the Supreme Court was clear in its judgment, stressing that LP matters are internal affairs of political platforms.
According to Abure: “Tell them that there is no vacancy in our party. In the Labour Party, we don’t betray our candidates even though some betray us after giving them tickets.
“We also want to urge those who have been deceived by last week’s misleading interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment to disregard the speculation. I remain the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
“Again, the Labour Party Constitution does not recognise the setting up of a caretaker committee for party affairs.”
Salient Times had reported that Obi and Otti had called for a NEC meeting scheduled to hold on Wednesday in Abuja.
The duo said the meeting would be followed by a town hall engagement with major stakeholders at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.
Abure-Led Faction Threatens To Sanction Obi, Otti
In another development, the Julius Abure-led group of the Labour Party (LP), sacked by the Supreme Court, has threatened to sanction the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti.
In a resolution issued after a meeting on Monday, the group accused Governor Otti of convening an unauthorised stakeholders’ meeting and usurping the powers of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
The resolution, jointly signed by Abure and Farouk Ibrahim, the former National Secretary of the now-dissolved National Working Committee (NWC), also alleged that Otti conducted the recent Local Government elections in Abia State under the platform of another political party.
“The Governor has intensified his efforts to factionalise the party leadership by calling an illegal NEC meeting scheduled to hold on Wednesday,” the statement read.
The group further claimed that Governor Otti was plotting to destabilise the Labour Party ahead of a planned defection to another political platform, where he allegedly intends to pursue a second-term bid in 2027.
“His anti-party activities are unbecoming of a highly respected personality and can no longer be tolerated. NEC stated that it will not hesitate to discipline him in line with Article 19 of the party’s Constitution,” the group added.
The Abure faction also warned Peter Obi against attending Wednesday’s NEC meeting, saying any defiance could attract “stiffer penalties.”
Additionally, the group announced the removal of Victor Adam Ogene as the Labour Party Caucus Leader in the House of Representatives, replacing him with Ben Etanabene.
It directed Ogene to “hand over all party property in his possession, particularly all financial contributions made so far by other Labour Party lawmakers, and render a proper account to the party with immediate effect.”
