Fresh tensions have erupted within the Labour Party (LP), just 24 hours after its 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, aligned with a coalition of politicians adopting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their new political platform for the 2027 elections.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

While the National Caretaker Committee (NCC) led by former Finance Minister, Senator Nenadi Usman, welcomed Obi’s participation in the coalition, the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding Obi’s resignation from the LP.

Both factions, consistent with their ongoing rivalry, continue to claim legitimacy as the party’s rightful leadership.

Reacting first to Obi’s move, the Abure camp argued that his association with the coalition signaled the end of his Labour Party membership. They accused the ADC coalition of being a self-serving alliance of “power mongers” unfit to deliver on the promise of a “New Nigeria.”

“The so-called coalition is nothing more than a gathering of desperate, recycled politicians,” said the LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement. He warned Nigerians that Obi’s slogan, ‘A New Nigeria is POssible’, cannot be achieved through what he called a deceptive alliance.

Ifoh also alleged that Obi had been lobbying LP members in secret to defect, but many had declined. “Any Labour Party member involved in the coalition has 48 hours to resign. We will not tolerate divided loyalties or those with a dual political agenda,” the statement warned.

However, the Usman-led NCC dismissed the Abure group’s ultimatum, asserting that the Supreme Court judgment of April 4 nullified Abure’s claim to leadership. They insisted Obi remains a bonafide member of the LP while also participating in the ADC coalition.

Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser (Media) to the NCC Chairman, urged the public and party faithful to disregard statements from the Abure faction.

Meanwhile, Peter Obi maintained that “no single party or group” can rebuild Nigeria alone, underscoring the need for broad-based collaboration to rescue the country from systemic decline.

Elsewhere, ADC Presidential Candidate Dumebi Kachikwu rejected former Senate President David Mark’s interim leadership of the party, calling on INEC to name the authentic executives of the ADC and denouncing the ongoing factional manipulations.