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STATEMENT FROM THE LABOUR PARTY
Stop blackmailng Labour Party leadership, Abure warns Obi:
* Crisis in LP created, sustained by Obi and Gov Otti
The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party was called to an interview on Monday granted by the party’s candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi wherein he alleged that the APC led Federal Government has infiltrated the leadership of the Labour Party and by so doing, fomenting crisis in the party. But when asked to produce the evidence, Obi could not produce any tangible evidence. He however said that the national chairman, Barrister Julius Abure referred to the Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti as a dwarf.
As a member of our party, we sincerely do not wish to join issues with Mr. Obi but for his penchant to constantly misinform Nigerians on the real reasons for the crisis in the party, knowing that virtually most other parties are in one form of crisis or the other. We sincerely hope that he should introspect and move away from this ill-conceived narratives.
It is therefore pertinent to put on record that the problem with the Labour Party was not created by the ruling party, (APC), rather the problem in the Labour Party was created and sustained by Peter Obi and Dr. Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State who is presently serving suspension for anti-party activities. We dare Obi to produce any tangible or intangible evidence which suggests remotely or otherwise that the Abure leadership of the Labour Party is on the bed with the APC led government.
Nobody is infallible and it behoves on anyone who makes mistakes to be bold enough to own it. When good leaders fail, they should own up to their responsibilities. Obi failed in providing leadership for the party. He should own up to his mistakes. It is therefore shameful for Peter Obi and Dr. Alex Otti to continue to accuse the government of infiltrating Labour Party and by so doing demarketing the party.
This same government was in existence in 2022 when the party made six aspirants, including Prof. Pat Utomi to step down for Peter Obi as the party’s candidate. The government was in existence when the party crisscrossed all the nooks and crannies of the country including the insecurity prone areas campaigning for Peter Obi in 2022 and 2023.
The government was in existence when the national chairman, Julius Abure travelled across Europe and United States to galvanized support for Peter Obi. The government was also in existence when the party leadership mobilised its members across the state leading to over six million votes won during the election.
It was the same leadership that you claimed has been infiltrated that stood with Peter Obi throughout the tribunal and up to the Supreme Court. The same Abure appeared in court more that Obi refusing to be cowed when a splinter group wanted to hijack the process. The government was in existence when Peter Obi and Dr. Alex Otti were given sole tickets for the 2027 even against the status book.
For the records, there was no problem in the Labour Party until Peter Obi and Dr. Alex Otti went to Umuahia, Abia State to create an illegal and unconstitutional Caretaker Committee that polarized the party. And may I ask, is it the ruling party that sent Obi and Otti to Umuahia to create a division in the party?
They were also aware that the courts; from the lower court up to the Supreme Court clearly affirmed the leadership of the party, but Peter Obi and Alex Otti surreptitiously plotted to hijack the leadership of the party by instigating the division. Again, is it the government in power that created the division or forced them to march to INEC headquarters to exhibit their ignorance?
For Peter Obi to be responding to the comment where the National Chairman referred to the governor as being dwarfy in knowledge, we want to say clearly that there is no action without a reaction. The National Chairman was only responding to a pejorative comment made by the governor wherein he referred to the National Chairman as ‘masturbating’.
The governor neither retracted nor apologized for that reckless statement. He showed utter disrespect to the constituted authority of the party; to the man who went out of his way to help him achieve his ambition to be a governor.
If the governor is not limited or dwarfy in knowledge, he would have appreciated the import of the Supreme Court judgement which practically resolved the crisis in the party but these men were only blinded by their inordinate desire to wrestle the party from the present leadership.
The party leadership has moved on since the Supreme Court judgement and we are working hard to reposition the party, to restore confidence in our members, and prevent further membership hemorrhage being witnessed across virtually all opposition parties in Nigeria today. We therefore think that it is improper for any member of the party, who means well for the party, to continue to make such unguided statements.
Labour Party will never go into any alliance with any other party to betray our candidates. We had every opportunity in 2023 to do so, but we chose to stand by Peter Obi and even Alex Otti before and even after the general election, when their matters were in court, but we were very consistent because of the bigger picture. And now that they have failed in their plot to dislodge a lawful leadership, they have simply resorted to blackmail instead of showing gratitude.
One takeaway from the Obi’s interview is that he has acknowledged that Abure is the National Chairman of the Labour Party as he clearly stated. We are therefore calling on Peter Obi and other aggrieved members of the party to understand and digest the fact that Barrister Julius Abure leadership has come to stay and nothing can change that.
SIGN
Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim
National Secretary
Labour Party
10/06/2025
