Factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has warned the leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) against allowing former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and his supporters to wield excessive influence within the party.
Abure gave the warning in a statement issued on Monday while reacting to reports of internal disagreements over the sharing of elective positions in the NDC.
The Labour Party chairman said the decision by the NDC leadership, headed by Senator Seriake Dickson, not to concede all the political positions demanded by Obi’s supporters was justified, citing the Labour Party’s experience before and after the 2023 general election.
According to Abure, several politicians who secured elective positions on the Labour Party platform later turned against the party leadership instead of helping to strengthen the party.
“They say history usually repeats itself. Senator Dickson and Co have seen their trajectory and learnt from what happened to us,” Abure said.
He alleged that many politicians who benefited from the Labour Party’s platform eventually aligned with Obi and became involved in disputes surrounding the party’s leadership.
Abure further claimed that the Labour Party made significant sacrifices ahead of the 2023 elections by accommodating Obi’s interests and those of his supporters.
“We only looked at his body language and obliged most of his supporters with tickets. Most of the tickets were given for free because we believed we were investing in those persons,” he stated.
The LP chairman also accused some elected officials of supporting efforts to challenge the party leadership after winning elections on the party’s platform.
“All those elected under the party, Obi took them to fight the leadership of the party,” he said.
Abure maintained that political parties must ensure a balanced distribution of power and positions among members to preserve unity and stability.
“It is very good for Seriake Dickson not to have given Obi supporters all they needed in the NDC. He needed to bring his own people so that when the chips are down, he will also have people that will speak and defend him,” he added.
The Labour Party chairman further accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of contributing to the leadership crisis that engulfed the party after the 2023 elections, alleging that some party leaders embraced claims that the tenure of the party’s executives had expired.
“The leaders, particularly Peter Obi and Alex Otti, decided to take over the leadership of the party,” Abure alleged.
He said his remarks were prompted by questions from members of the public regarding how the Labour Party handled its relationship with Obi and his supporters during the 2022/2023 election cycle.
