Abia State Governor Alex Otti has declared that Julius Abure’s reign as national chairman of the Labour Party (LP) is effectively over, stating that Abure is “just m@sturbating” in his continued claim to the party’s leadership.
His comments come amid an ongoing leadership crisis within the LP, which has split the party into opposing camps — one led by Abure and his allies, and the other by a caretaker committee chaired by Nenadi Usman, with the backing of Peter Obi and Otti himself.
Speaking during an interview on The Morning Show on ARISE TV, Otti asserted that the recent Supreme Court judgment had nullified Abure’s authority over the party. “When you go through the supreme court judgment, you will know that Abure is just m@sturbating,” he said. He maintained that the Labour Party, under new leadership, is preparing to conduct fresh congresses at all levels before the end of the year.
The Supreme Court last month ruled that the court of appeal lacked jurisdiction to pronounce Abure the chairman of the party. Since then, various interpretations of the ruling have surfaced, with different factions, including one led by Lamidi Apapa, claiming control.
Otti dismissed suggestions that he might defect from the Labour Party, amid a wave of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that LP is not in crisis. “Governor Otti is not decamping, and my party (LP) is not on shaky ground, everybody must not be in APC. This is democracy and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu held on to his AD, AC, ACN before becoming APC,” he said. “If not, he wouldn’t be president today. Sometimes you have to also stand for something.”
The governor also reflected on his past affiliations, stating, “Let me tell you. I was in PDP. And then from PDP, I went to APGA. I went to APC. I’ve been in APC. So that’s not the issue. The issue is that the party that brought me to power is Labour. And today we have fought and retrieved the Labour Party.”
While asserting his current loyalty to LP, Otti also acknowledged the fluid nature of political affiliations. “And I’m not God to also say that I will remain in the Labour Party or leave the Labour Party. But as we speak, the current conditions do not warrant my leaving the Labour Party. Tomorrow, anything can change. And I’ve told you, I’m very pragmatic and I look at things. And of course, if I’m going to take any decision, that decision is going to be taken in full consultation with the Abia people.”
The internal rift within the LP comes at a time when the political landscape is witnessing growing defections to the APC, with several governors and high-ranking party figures reportedly weighing their options.
