By SPEAR NEWS
Following deepening internal divisions and a protracted leadership crisis within the Labour Party, a faction of the opposition group is now exploring a potential political alliance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Spear News can authoritatively report.
This strategic move comes in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court judgment that has further deepened existing divisions within the opposition party.
Highly placed sources within the Labour Party’s leadership structure confirmed that while the faction remains committed to maintaining control of the party apparatus, it is simultaneously pursuing “exploratory discussions” with the APC. The proposed alliance would involve supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election campaign in 2027 but under certain conditions.
“The Supreme Court’s decision has created new political realities,” a senior LP official disclosed on condition of anonymity. “While we’re determined to safeguard the party’s integrity from external interference, we must also consider pragmatic alliances that serve our members’ interests.
The prolonged leadership crisis within the Labour Party (LP), anticipated to conclude with the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday, took an unexpected turn as rival factions each claimed victory following last week’s judgement.
Overturning a recent Court of Appeal decision that affirmed Julius Abure as national chairman, the Supreme Court’s ruling sparked conflicting interpretations, with both Abure and former Finance Minister Senator, Nenadi Usman, asserting it favoured their position.
A five-member panel ruled that the Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction to declare Abure chairman, as the core issue, party leadership, constituted an internal affair beyond judicial purview. Delivered by Justice Mohammed Baba Idris, the lead judgement, authored by Justice John Okoro, held that the Federal High Court’s original case was non-justiciable.
Consequently, the apex court nullified both lower courts’ rulings endorsing Abure and struck out the LP’s suit for jurisdictional overreach. It dismissed Abure’s cross-appeal as without merit while upholding the main appeal by Usman’s faction.
The court admonished political parties to adhere to their constitutions, urging officials with expired tenures to step down. The verdict reinforces that internal leadership disputes should not be resolved judicially.
Despite the ruling, both factions persist in asserting triumph. Meanwhile, the NLC has twice threatened to seize control of the party, mobilising members for confrontation.
In a related development, Governor Alex Otti and Peter Obi’s faction yesterday, convened a NEC meeting before marching to INEC headquarters, where they presented the Supreme Court’s certified judgement to demand Abure’s removal from INEC’s records. This followed a separate NEC meeting by Abure’s faction earlier in the week.
Lamidi Apapa, the factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, yesterday declared himself the party’s legitimate chairman, citing last week’s Supreme Court judgment as confirmation of his authority. His assertion had further complicated the party’s leadership crisis, which now sees three competing claimants to the national chairmanship.
A senior Labour Party official has revealed to Spear News that the faction is exploring potential collaboration with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), following what they describe as “persistent external interference” in party affairs.
In a late-night interview on Wednesday, the high-ranking source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed frustration with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), accusing the union of “consistently obstructing the party’s progress.”
The official strongly criticised Tuesday’s actions by Governor Alex Otti and Peter Obi, denouncing their National Executive Committee meeting as “the very definition of illegality.”
“What we witnessed yesterday was nothing short of an attempted hijack of our party’s structure,” the source stated. “We will vigorously resist such unconstitutional power grabs.”
When asked why the APC and not other political party, the source maintained: “There’s nothing wrong with political parties exploring mutually beneficial alliances. While we bring strong grassroots support, the APC possesses institutional strength. A strategic partnership could create synergies where each party complements the other – but any agreement must be equitable for all involved”, he said.
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