Under INEC Watch, LP’s NEC Reaffirms Abure, Names Arabambi as South West Vice Chairman

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Julius Abure led Labour Party (LP) has taken a decisive step to consolidate its internal structure and present a united front, as its National Executive Council (NEC) convened in Abuja on Friday, 28th November 2025.

The meeting, which saw the presence of officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), culminated in the reaffirmation of the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) and the appointment of key officers, including Dr Oluwafemi Abayomi Arabambi, a former spokesman of the party, as the new National Vice Chairman for the South West region.

The gathering at the party’s national secretariat in Utako was a substantive assembly of the party’s hierarchy, drawing members of the NWC, national officers, state chairmen, secretaries, and stakeholders. Crucially, the event was monitored by a team from INEC’s Election and Party Monitoring (EPM) Department, led by Rakiya Dattijo.

Their presence was widely interpreted as a de facto recognition of the Abure-led executive, a point that lends considerable weight to the meeting’s outcomes. Further bolstering the faction’s legitimacy was the attendance of Dr. Datti Baba-Ahmed, the party’s former vice-presidential candidate, who used the platform to affirm that Mr. Peter Obi remains a member of the party and to call for unity.

The core resolution passed by the NEC was a full-throated endorsement of the national officers elected at the party’s National Convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, on the 27th of March 2024. To justify this move and quell the controversies that have plagued the party, the communiqué, read by National Chairman Barrister Julius Abure, leaned heavily on a recent Supreme Court judgment.

It extensively cited the apex court’s ruling in Abegunde Vs. Ondo State House of Assembly & Ors. (2025), which emphasised the non-justiciability of internal party disputes.

“The reason for the non-justiciability of internal disputes of a political party is simple,” the resolution stated, quoting the court, “and that is that in the eyes of the law, a political party is a corporate entity with its constitution, rules, regulations, and guidelines which are binding on members who have joined freely have consented to be so bound.”

Building on this, the NEC formally reaffirmed the seventeen-member NWC from the Nnewi convention. The list includes Barr. Julius Abure as National Chairman, Mr Clement Ojukwu, Dr. Ayo Olorunfemi, and Esther Gulmu as Deputy National Chairmen, and Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim as National Secretary. The council then moved to fill vacant positions, with the most strategically significant appointment being that of Dr Oluwafemi Abayomi Arabambi as National Vice Chairman for the South West. This move is seen as critical for strengthening the party’s organisational capacity and electoral appeal in a key geo-political zone. Prince Favour Reuben was appointed Assistant National Organising Secretary and Barr. Enu Kikawa as Assistant National Woman Leader for the South South.

In a move to secure official recognition, the National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, and the National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, have signed the comprehensive list of the reaffirmed and newly appointed National Working Committee members. The document has been formally transmitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with a formal request to update the party’s leadership information on its official website and public records, a critical step in cementing the faction’s legitimacy.

Looking forward, the NEC granted a mandate for the National Chairman and National Secretary to convene a Special Convention if necessary and, more imminently, ratified the decision to conduct Ward, Local Government, and State Congresses across the federation.

This move sets the stage for a comprehensive rebuilding and mobilisation effort at the grassroots level, which is essential for any serious electoral contest in 2027. The resolutions, jointly signed by Barrister Julius Abure and Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, project an image of a party taking firm control of its destiny.

However, this show of force occurs against the backdrop of a persistent schism. A rival faction, the Interim National Caretaker Committee led by former Minister of Finance Senator Nenadi Usman, also claims legitimacy under the same Supreme Court ruling. The conspicuous absence from the NEC meeting of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti—both perceived to lean towards the Usman camp—highlighted the unresolved divisions. Dr. Datti Baba-Ahmed’s address sought to bridge this gap, striking a conciliatory and forward-looking tone. “Peter Obi is still a member of LP. He is with us and our number is growing,” Datti stated, asserting that the party was recovering from its “rough times.” He also connected the party’s policy vision to national challenges, stating, “There is a correlation between insecurity and poor wages and poor return on business and economic activities,” and pledged the LP’s commitment to securing Nigeria and ensuring living wages.