Abure Takes On Obi, Otti Over Labour Party Crisis

By Omoyeni Ojeifo

Julius Abure, factional Chairman of the Labour Party, has accused former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and Gov. Alex Otti of Abia State, of destabilising the party and triggering internal leadership conflicts.

Abure made the claims during an interview on Channels TV monitored by Persecondnews on Tuesday.

He said, that the party was functioning smoothly before the intervention, insisting that the actions of Obi and Otti marked the beginning of the current internal crisis.

“The crisis of the Labour Party started when Peter Obi and Alex Otti went to Umuahia to create an illegal caretaker committee that triggered internal conflict and leadership breakdown across the party, ”he said.

He maintained that internal disagreements only emerged after actions allegedly taken by both political figures at the time.

Abure argued that Labour Party already had national recognition and political structure before Obi’s entry, with established members and stakeholders contributing to its gradual growth over the years.

“The party was already becoming a third force in Nigerian politics before Peter Obi joined, with existing structures, elected officials, and prominent political actors already in place nationwide.”he noted.

He also warned opposition parties especially the NDC, against repeating what he described as Labour Party’s internal mistakes.

“I am warning the NDC leadership not to repeat the mistakes of the Labour Party regarding internal management structure and leadership disputes,” he emphasized.

Abure denied allegations of financial misconduct, insisting he never received or used money to sabotage the party or act against its interests at any point in time.

“At no time did I collect any money from any person, group, or political actor to work against the Labour Party or compromise its internal leadership and integrity whatsoever.”he noted.

He further claimed that campaign funds were managed outside the party’s official financial structure, with separate arrangements reportedly created by the presidential campaign team.

“The campaign funds never passed through the Labour Party account, as a separate structure was created by the presidential candidate and his campaign team for all financial activities.”he noted.

On corruption allegations, Abure said both security agencies and anti-graft bodies had cleared him of wrongdoing after investigations into party finances and related claims.

“The police and the EFCC have both confirmed that there are no criminal allegations or missing funds linked to me in any official investigation or report.”he stressed.

Abure further expressed regret over his political relationship with Obi, saying the fallout significantly affected party unity and internal cohesion over time.

“My regret is the manner in which Peter Obi created crisis in the party, and under that circumstance I cannot work with him again at this time.”