Factional Fires Rage in Peter Obi's Labour Party as Supreme Court Verdict Sparks Leadership Showdown

 

Labour Party Engulfed in Leadership Storm as Apapa Resurfaces, Obi and Otti Move to INEC

The Labour Party (LP) is once again mired in internal crisis, following a dramatic resurgence by factional leader Lamidi Apapa, who on Wednesday declared himself the legitimate acting national chairman of the party. This comes in the wake of the Supreme Court's April 4 ruling, which overturned previous judgments that had recognised Julius Abure as the party’s helmsman.

Apapa, who had been silent on the political scene for over a year, cited the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment to assert his claim. Speaking through factional publicity secretary, Dr Abayomi Arabambi, Apapa announced plans to reconvene the National Working Committee (NWC) as constituted in 2022. A meeting has been scheduled for April 14, 2025, to deliberate on power zoning, with proposed shifts of the National Chairman role to the North and the National Secretary role to the South.

According to Apapa, “Following the dismissal of the cross-appeal filed by the ousted former National Chairman, Bar Julius Abure… I, Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa, hereby take over the running of the affairs of our great party.”

This proclamation was made just as a separate LP faction led by Abia State Governor Alex Otti and 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi also weighed in, hailing the same judgment as a vindication of their 29-member caretaker committee, installed in September 2024.

While addressing stakeholders at a Labour Party gathering in Abuja, Otti presented the 48-page CTC, asserting that it affirmed the legitimacy of the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee. He argued that the verdict struck down lower court decisions that had upheld Abure’s leadership, effectively nullifying actions taken by him since April 2023.

Obi, present at the meeting alongside other party heavyweights, including Senator Victor Umeh and Senator Darlington Nwokocha, declared their next move: submitting the court document to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to initiate a transition in leadership.

From the venue at Transcorp Hotel, Otti led a delegation directly to INEC headquarters, where he handed over the CTC to Acting Chairman Sam Olumekun. Discussions reportedly focused on reinforcing democratic processes and ensuring institutional neutrality.

But Abure’s camp swiftly countered, dismissing claims that the court ruling dethroned him. LP National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh insisted the Supreme Court did not make any pronouncement removing Abure or recognising a new leadership. “They are jubilating for nothing,” Ifoh said during a phone interview with The PUNCH.

A detailed statement from the Abure camp argued that party leadership is an internal matter, referencing the Supreme Court’s reaffirmation of party supremacy. “There is no vacuum in the leadership of the Labour Party,” Ifoh asserted, stressing that Abure was validly re-elected at the party’s 2024 convention.

The LP spokesperson also pushed back against plans by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to occupy LP offices across the country, describing it as unlawful. NLC President Joe Ajaero had, earlier in the week, directed mobilisation for such actions, accusing Abure’s leadership of defying the Supreme Court’s decision.

Responding, Ifoh characterised Ajaero’s actions as blackmail and an attempt to drag INEC and security forces into a non-existent trade dispute. “There is no union activity in LP offices,” he said. “This is political meddling disguised as labour activism.”

In a further twist, the Apapa-aligned LP secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk, slammed the INEC visit by Obi and Otti as an act of desperation. “It’s not about Abure, but about respecting the organs and constitution of the party,” Farouk said, challenging the caretaker committee’s legitimacy and describing their decisions as “arbitrary.”

As the dust refuses to settle, Nigeria’s Labour Party stands at a crossroads, split by conflicting interpretations of a single Supreme Court ruling. With two factions claiming control and staking their futures on the same document, the coming days promise further political and legal battles that could redefine the party’s trajectory ahead of future elections.