The Labour Party (LP) is approaching a pivotal moment, with power blocs within the party preparing for a decisive political battle in Abuja this week, as former presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti lead the charge to reclaim control of the party.
This showdown comes just days after the Supreme Court ruled on the LP’s ongoing leadership crisis, a decision that, instead of resolving the issue, has deepened the divisions within the party.
The apex court nullified the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Julius Abure, but the embattled chairman has refused to back down, holding his own National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Monday.
The Abure-led NEC issued a warning to Otti, threatening sanctions if he proceeds with a planned stakeholders’ meeting on April 9, 2025.
The faction also cautioned Obi against actions that could exacerbate disunity within the party.
Despite rumours suggesting that Obi might defect to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Yunusa Tanko, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, reassured that Obi remains a member of the Labour Party.
Abure, in a statement following the Supreme Court verdict, called it a “triumph for internal party sovereignty,” using the occasion to solidify his hold on the party.
He declared, “The court has said it loud and clear: leadership tussles are not for judicial arbitration. This is a resounding victory not for Abure, but for party democracy across Nigeria.”
Not resting on legal interpretations, Obi and Otti are jointly leading the charge to restore unity in the party, calling for a critical NEC and Stakeholders’ Townhall scheduled for April 9, 2025, at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.
The event is being viewed as a potential turning point for the divided party.
The duo issued a joint invitation for the meeting, which will include the 2023 vice presidential candidate, current and former lawmakers, National Assembly candidates from the last elections, members of the National Caretaker Committee, former gubernatorial aspirants, NLC/TUC Political Commission representatives, and former NWC members.
Political analysts see this wide-reaching engagement as an attempt to restore discipline, rebuild consensus, and create a unified strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.
One LP strategist said, “This is not just a power move, it is a rescue mission. What Abure is doing is political brinkmanship. What Obi and Otti are offering is party revival.”
At the parallel NEC meeting held on the same day at the party’s Utako secretariat, Abure’s supporters passed several controversial resolutions, including the reinstatement of Abure’s mandate and the affirmation of the March 27, 2024, Nnewi Convention, which was rejected by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
They declared the convention binding, while accusing Obi and Otti of engineering an “illegal caretaker committee.”
The Abure-led NEC also condemned Obi and Otti for “divisive actions” and accused Otti of anti-party activities, warning him of the possibility of defection.
The faction removed Victor Ogene as House Caucus Leader and replaced him with Ben Etanabene, reaffirming their commitment to upholding party discipline “regardless of influence.”
Despite expectations, the Supreme Court ruling, which terminated Abure’s NWC on procedural grounds, has sparked a political battle between the Obi-Otti reformists and the Abure-led establishment.
Some legal experts argue that, while the court acknowledged the autonomy of political parties, it left enough ambiguity to fuel both camps’ claims to legitimacy.
A communiqué issued by the Abure faction’s national secretary, Umar Farouk, at the conclusion of the NEC meeting emphasized that the Supreme Court judgment did not explicitly remove Julius Abure as the National Chairman.
The outcome of the LP meeting in Abuja on April 9 could determine the party’s future—whether it will emerge stronger and more united or sink further into internal conflict, just two years before the next general elections.
Tanko also stated that LP leaders would meet later in the week to address key issues, including the Supreme Court judgment that ousted Abure.
He reaffirmed that Obi’s membership status in LP “remains unchanged,” countering claims by former SDP presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo, who suggested that Obi and Atiku Abubakar were in talks with the SDP for potential defections.
