The Labour Party, Nigeria’s emerging third force in recent elections, finds itself embroiled in another internal crisis as the Julius Abure-led faction prepares to convene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja today, Monday, 20 July 2025, Spear News has learned.
This development comes as a direct response to last Friday’s NEC meeting organised by a rival faction backed by Peter Obi and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, further escalating the party’s leadership dispute.
Credible sources confirmed that the Lamidi Apapa-led faction will participate in today’s critical deliberations, with discussions expected to address the contentious membership status of both Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti within the party structure. This development could prove decisive in determining the future alignment of key stakeholders as the leadership crisis reaches its climax.
The deepening schism within the party has left members confused, with conflicting claims of legitimacy further complicated by the stance of the Supreme Court and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Today’s NEC meeting Spear News gathered is expected to reinforce authority over the Labour Partyโs structure. Sources within the party revealed that key agenda items included restructuring the leadership, particularly the position of the national chairman, and addressing ambiguities in the partyโs constitution.
The move is a direct response to the Otti-Obi factionโs NEC meeting, which had elected Senator Nenadi Esther Usman as interim national chairperson and Senator Darlington Nwokocha as interim national secretary. That faction also approved a schedule for congresses at various levels ahead of a national convention, a move the Abure camp has dismissed as illegal.
The Labour Partyโs internal strife is not new, but the latest developments have intensified the power struggle. In a strongly worded statement issued on 18th July 2025, the Abure-led faction dismissed the Otti-Obi groupโs NEC as โillegalโ and โnull and void,โ citing constitutional provisions that vest the power to convene such meetings solely in the national secretary and national chairman.
The statement, signed by Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, the partyโs national secretary, also referenced a Supreme Court ruling from 4th April 2025, which reportedly affirmed Abureโs leadership and emphasised that internal party disputes must be resolved within the partyโs structures.
However, the Otti-Obi faction remains undeterred, insisting that their NEC was legitimate and necessary to reposition the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Their camp argued that the Abure leadership has overstayed its tenure and that fresh leadership is needed to reinvigorate the party. Governor Otti, who has been a prominent figure in the faction, has faced accusations from the Abure group of misusing state resources to fund what they describe as a โfruitless rebellion.โ
The Abure factionโs statement warned Otti that his allies were abandoning him and urged him to focus on governance in Abia State rather than engaging in what they termed โtrivialities.โ
The Supreme Courtโs position has added another layer of complexity to the crisis. While the Abure faction claims judicial vindication, the Otti-Obi camp interprets the ruling differently, arguing that it did not explicitly bar internal party reforms.
This legal ambiguity has left both sides clinging to their interpretations, further muddying the waters. Meanwhile, INEC, the body responsible for recognising political party leadership, has yet to make a definitive pronouncement, leaving the party in a state of limbo.
The Labour Partyโs internal divisions threaten to undermine its growing influence in Nigerian politics. Once seen as a credible alternative to the dominant All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party now risks losing momentum if the crisis persists.
The Abure faction insists it remains the legitimate leadership, but the Otti-Obi groupโs push for a new convention suggests a protracted battle ahead.
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