The leadership crisis in the Labour Party may have worsened after the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee rejected reconciliation efforts by Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti on Monday.
The Abure faction described Otti’s move as insincere and premature, insisting that the legal battle over the party’s leadership is far from over.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, accused Otti of being responsible for the crisis currently dividing the party.
Ifoh said the Abure-led group was not interested in reconciliation, arguing that the recent court ruling was only from a court of first instance and is already under appeal.
He described the celebration by Otti’s camp as a “pyrrhic victory” and insisted that Nigerians would soon see what he called the “true leadership” of the party.
The rejection came shortly after Otti publicly expressed regret over the exit of the party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, describing it as a major setback for the Labour Party.
Otti spoke in Abuja during a meeting with members of the party’s Board of Trustees, leaders of the Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee, and representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress.
During the meeting, Otti said the new leadership had resolved to pursue reconciliation and rebuild unity within the party following its court victory.
He appealed to Julius Abure and his supporters to return to the party, assuring them that they would be welcomed if they followed party rules.
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Otti also announced that the Labour Party would not participate in the upcoming FCT council elections and ruled out joining any opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the party’s Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration, Marcel Ngogbehei, blamed both Otti and Peter Obi for the prolonged crisis.
Ngogbehei said Otti failed to use the momentum of the 2023 elections to build strong party structures and accused him of worsening the crisis by backing a caretaker committee.
He also criticised Obi for not using his influence to reconcile the warring factions, warning that the ruling APC was benefiting from the opposition’s internal troubles.
Despite calls for peace from the Otti camp, the firm stance of the Abure faction shows that the Labour Party’s leadership crisis remains unresolved, with more legal and political battles expected ahead of 2027.
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