Tensions Deepen in Labour Party as Leadership Accuses Obi, Otti of Attempted Takeover

The Labour Party (LP) is currently embroiled in fresh internal turmoil, as the party’s National Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, has accused former presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti of attempting to hijack the party’s leadership structure.

In a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, Ibrahim condemned a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting allegedly convened by Obi and Otti in Abuja, labeling it as illegal and unauthorized. He further criticized the duo’s visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing it as a desperate move to impose factional leadership on the party.

The controversy follows a visit by Governor Otti and a high-level LP delegation to INEC headquarters in Abuja, where they presented a Certified True Copy of a recent Supreme Court judgment concerning the party’s leadership crisis. Reports had earlier indicated that the apex court ruled against Julius Abure, ordering him to stop parading himself as the party’s National Chairman.

Reacting to the development, Ibrahim stated:

“The attention of the Labour Party leadership has been drawn to an illegal NEC meeting convened by Dr. Alex Otti and Mr. Peter Obi, where they continue to delude themselves and mislead the public. Their subsequent visit to INEC only reinforces their desperation to hijack the party’s structure.”

He also criticized what he described as a “soft landing” offer made to Abure during the meeting, where Obi and Otti allegedly proposed making Abure Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees. Ibrahim rejected the offer, asserting that party leadership is determined by institutional structures, not individual preferences.

“It’s not about Abure, it’s about the supremacy of the party’s organs and due process. We condemn the illegal meeting and urge our members and the public to disregard both the gathering and its resolutions,” the statement concluded.

This latest rift marks a significant escalation in the Labour Party’s internal crisis, threatening to deepen divisions ahead of future political engagements.