Amid ongoing tensions threatening the cohesion of the Labour Party (LP), Abia State Governor Alex Otti has called on party members to prioritise unity and obedience to judicial authority in resolving the party’s leadership dispute.
Speaking at the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held Friday in Abuja, Governor Otti emphasized the need for collective responsibility and humility within the party ranks. The meeting, attended by prominent figures including Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Joe Ajaero, follows a Supreme Court judgment affirming Senator Usman Nenadi as the legitimate National Chairman of the party.
The judgment is seen as a significant turning point in the prolonged leadership tussle that has pitted Julius Abure and his supporters against the Nenadi-led caretaker committee backed by Otti, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and other elected LP officials.
“As law-abiding people, we felt we should obey the Supreme Court judgment,” Otti said. “What we are here to do is to begin a structured process by formalising some key committees like the interim National Working Committee, which will oversee all party activities until a national convention is held.”
In a veiled admonition to the Abure-led faction, Otti urged compliance with the Supreme Court ruling, adding that humility and adherence to legal authority are essential to restoring the party’s credibility.
The governor also expressed gratitude to the NLC for founding the Labour Party but noted that the party has since evolved beyond its labour roots. “Now the party is bigger than the NLC,” he said, while calling on members to set aside personal interests and recommit to the collective vision.
Joe Ajaero, in his remarks, reaffirmed the NLC’s commitment to the party, describing LP as “the party of the common man.” He criticized factions laying claim to leadership without alignment with the labour movement, warning that such actions undermine the foundational ethos of the party.
“Anyone that is not with us and is not working with the Labour force and claims to be the party chairman is a daydreamer,” Ajaero said. “When the day of reckoning comes, we will say we don’t know you.”
He called on party members to remain focused and undistracted by internal challenges. “There is a need to restructure this party, rebrand it, because that is the only way this party can work.”
The NEC meeting marks the latest development in a leadership crisis that has plagued the LP since the aftermath of the 2023 general elections. At the heart of the conflict is a question of legitimacy, whether Abure, whose tenure was effectively ruled expired by the Supreme Court, still retains authority, or whether Senator Nenadi’s appointment and interim leadership should now prevail.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous April ruling, held that internal party matters such as leadership contests lie outside the jurisdiction of regular courts. The judgment declared the Abure faction’s appeal unmeritorious and dismissed it, effectively handing the mandate to the Nenadi-led committee.
The court’s intervention has done little to stifle the power struggle within the party, revealing a broader issue in Nigerian politics: the fragility of party institutions and the ease with which legal processes are politicised or ignored.
A Party at a Crossroads
The Labour Party’s recent electoral momentum, particularly during the 2023 presidential elections, has presented it with both opportunity and vulnerability. As the party struggles to translate popularity into sustainable political structure, its internal governance is being tested.
Governor Otti’s call for unity is more than symbolic. As the party’s only serving governor, his role could be pivotal in stabilizing the party ahead of future elections. However, the challenge remains whether personal ambitions and parallel structures within LP can be reconciled with the need for party discipline.
The NLC’s continued stake in the party also raises questions about autonomy and ideological coherence. While Otti’s comment that the party is now “bigger than the NLC” may be factually accurate, it underscores a philosophical rift, between those who see LP as a platform for broader political ambition and those who view it as a vehicle for organised labour’s ideological influence.
What is clear is that the Labour Party is at a crossroads. Whether it chooses unity and reform, or continues to spiral in factionalism, will determine if it can consolidate its gains and build a lasting political legacy. The court has spoken; now the party must decide whether to listen, or fracture further under the weight of ambition.
