Stakeholders of the Labour Party (LP), including 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti, have endorsed a National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Nenadi Usman. The committee is expected to manage the party’s affairs until a national convention is convened.
The decision was reached during the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and Stakeholders Townhall held in Abuja on Wednesday.
Citing the Certified True Copy (CTC) of a recent Supreme Court judgment, Governor Otti said the leadership crisis in the party had been settled. According to him, the ruling struck out decisions recognizing Julius Abure as National Chairman and dismissed his cross-appeal, affirming that lower courts lacked jurisdiction in the matter.
“This judgment reaffirms the rule of law. Our Caretaker Committee is not here to hold power but to midwife the emergence of new leadership,” Otti said, adding that efforts had been made to keep Abure within party leadership, but he declined.
In his remarks, Peter Obi dispelled rumours of his departure from the LP.
“Let me assure you: I’ve not left, and I’m not leaving the Labour Party,” he declared.
Obi emphasized the need to rebuild the party from the grassroots, urging unity and a focus on ideology-driven politics. He also addressed Nigeria’s worsening economic crisis, encouraging LP members to be the voice of justice and compassion.
“We must speak up when things are wrong. Even if we fail, we must fail doing the right thing,” Obi said.
In a swift rebuttal, the Abure-led faction of the party, through its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, rejected the interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling.
Ifoh argued that the judgment did not invalidate Abure’s leadership or endorse a caretaker committee.
“The Supreme Court clearly stated that party matters are internal affairs. The March 2024 convention legally elected new leaders whose tenures remain valid,” Ifoh said.
He warned that any meeting or action conducted outside the party’s constitutional framework was null and void and cautioned against attempts to divide the party.
With both factions citing the same court judgment to support opposing positions, the Labour Party appears to be heading into another phase of internal conflict. Despite appeals for unity and democratic order, tensions remain high over the party’s leadership direction.
