Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has declared that Julius Abure’s time as national chairman of the Labour Party (LP) has effectively come to an end, stressing that the party has been reclaimed and is now under a legitimate caretaker leadership.
Speaking on The Morning Show on ARISE TV, Otti said Abure is aware that his leadership has been invalidated, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling which held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to pronounce Abure as LP chairman.
“The apex court has removed him; he’s just grandstanding. When you go through the judgment, you’ll know that Abure is just masturbating,” Otti said bluntly.
The Labour Party has been entangled in a leadership crisis, with Julius Abure and his allies on one side, and a caretaker committee led by former Senator Nenadi Usman on the other. The Usman-led committee is backed by LP’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi and Governor Otti.
Lamidi Apapa has also laid claim to the chairmanship, further deepening the internal crisis.
Despite speculations surrounding his political future amid a wave of defections from the opposition to the ruling APC, Otti affirmed that he has no plans to dump the LP.
“Governor Otti is not decamping and my party is not on shaky ground. Everyone doesn’t have to be in APC — this is a democracy,” he said.
Otti added that political decisions are often driven by prevailing conditions, but emphasised that for now, he remains in LP and any future decision would be taken in consultation with the people of Abia.
He noted that the Labour Party has now been restructured under a new national caretaker committee which will conduct congresses at all levels ahead of the party’s national convention slated for later this year.
The statement comes amid ongoing defections from major opposition parties to the APC, with more expected in the coming weeks.
