Eshiorameh Sebastian in Abuja
In a significant political realignment that deepens the fissures within the Labour Party (LP), Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the 2023 vice-presidential candidate, has publicly aligned himself with the faction led by the embattled National Chairman, Julius Abure.
This move places him in direct opposition to his principal, Peter Obi, who has consistently refused to recognise Abure’s leadership.
The stark division was laid bare on Friday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, where Abure chaired a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting attended by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and, notably, Baba-Ahmed.
The meeting, a critical effort to consolidate power, was convened against the backdrop of the protracted and bitter disputes stemming from the party’s 2024 national convention in Nnewi, Anambra State.
While the gathering of NEC members and stakeholders moved to reaffirm Abure as the substantive chairman, it simultaneously triggered renewed fears of protracted litigation and hardened the factional rivalries that have plagued the party for months.
The Labour Party’s internal crisis has pitted its most prominent members against one another. The 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the Abia State governor, Alex Otti, have openly rejected the outcome of the Nnewi convention.
In a bold move this past July, they joined other party leaders to establish a 29-man caretaker committee led by a former Minister of Finance, Nemadi Usman. This committee was tasked with the explicit mandate to organise inclusive congresses and a fresh national convention, a direct challenge to Abure’s authority.
This action deepened a leadership split that has persisted for months, with both sides citing conflicting court orders and constitutional provisions to justify their claims to legitimacy. However, Friday’s NEC meeting, fortified by the presence of INEC, marked a strategic counter-offensive by the Abure camp.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Abure presented a narrative of resolution and legal supremacy. He stressed that the NEC relied on recent Supreme Court rulings which affirm that the leadership and internal affairs of political parties are non-justiciable, effectively insulating them from certain legal challenges.
“The NEC has the responsibility and power to manage the affairs of political parties between national conventions as well as to fill vacant positions,” Abure declared, establishing the basis for the meeting’s authority.
He framed the meeting as a necessary step toward party unity and future success. “It is for this reason that we called this meeting so that we can do the needful, resolve all our crises, differences and strategically position the party for the 2027 election.”
Abure declared that the Labour Party a major new force in Nigerian politics, regardless of its internal troubles.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that there will be a beginning of the existence of the Labour Party. That we have come this far is a powerful statement that we have made. Whether we like it or not, LP has become a reference point in the political firmament of Nigeria.”
He further argued that the party’s current travails were setting a crucial precedent. “We have done so and reinforced the supremacy of political parties in Nigeria. The Labour Party has set the pace and standard that parties are bigger than individual persons in the party.”
A key aspect of Abure’s validation strategy was the official recognition from the electoral commission, a factor that was conspicuously absent during the contentious Nnewi convention. He praised INEC for sending representatives to observe the proceedings, noting that their presence effectively ratified his position.
“Without sounding parochial or immodest, I have always said that when lawyers are in office, there is always equity, justice, fair play and peace. I am happy that peace is finally returning to most political parties that are having crises because we have a lawyer at the helm of INEC leadership,” Abure stated, in a clear reference to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
“Therefore, I want to appreciate the commission for being there. They were not with us at the Nnewi convention, and that resulted in some measures of controversy.”
Quoting the apex court judgment directly, Abure emphasized that political parties are “corporate entities with their constitution, rules, regulations and guidelines which are binding on members,” adding that members who join do so “freely” and are bound by internal mechanisms for dispute resolution.
Bolstered by this legal reasoning and INEC’s observation, the NEC moved to cement Abure’s control. After a review of the Nnewi convention and its attendant controversies, the council passed resolutions reaffirming the list of national officers elected on March 27, 2024, in Anambra State. This solidified Abure as National Chairman and Umar Farouk Ibrahim as National Secretary, among others.
The council also filled several vacant positions and mandated the chairman and secretary to convene a special convention if necessary. Furthermore, it ratified plans to conduct ward, local government, and state congresses nationwide, a process that will further entrench the Abure-led executive across the party’s structures.
The INEC delegation at the meeting, which lent a crucial veneer of legitimacy to the proceedings, included officials from the Litigation and Election and Party Monitoring (EPM) departments, led by Mrs. Rakiya Dattijo.
The attendance of Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, however, was the day’s most potent political symbol. His decision to sit with Abure and INEC officials, has unequivocally broken ranks with Peter Obi, signaling that the battle for the soul of the Labour Party has not only intensified but has also shattered its most prominent partnership.
Discussion about this post