Labour Party slams Peter Obi, Otti over ‘Illegal’ NEC move - The Nation Newspaper (2025)

April 10, 2025 by AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

Officials of Nigeria’s Labour Party (LP) have accused Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of attempting to take control of the party’s structure for personal political gain.

In response, party leaders have vowed to resist what they described as a covert and desperate attempt by Otti and Obi.

The accusation was made in a statement issued by the LP’s National Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, on Thursday in Kaduna. He condemned the “illegal” National Executive Council (NEC) meeting that Otti and Obi convened in Abuja on Wednesday, calling it a breach of party protocol.

He said, “At the end of their illegal meeting in Abuja, Mr Obi led other party outlaws to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in an attempt to pressure the Commission to take unlawful action against the party leadership.

“Their mission demonstrates the high level of desperation to seize control of the party’s structure. If the Supreme Court ruling truly supports them, why the rush to INEC to exert undue influence?”

Ibrahim also claimed that Obi and Otti offered a “soft landing” to the National Chairman, Julius Abure, by proposing to make him Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

“But unfortunately for them, Abure did not appoint himself chairman. It is not about personalities; it is about the supremacy of party organs and adherence to due process,” he said.

“It is not within anyone’s prerogative to allocate positions. This sort of political patronage undermines the sanctity of our democratic institutions. Such arbitrary behaviour by leaders is partly responsible for the state of governance in the country.”

He further alleged that the Abuja meeting included threats and plans to reclaim party leadership by any means, including force.

Ibrahim referenced a similar stance by labour union leader Comrade Joe Ajaero, who had vowed to picket LP offices nationwide.

“Our immediate response to Obi, Otti and other renegades is that their plans amount to self-help. If the court ruling is in their favour, there are legal means to enforce it. Intimidation and threats will not yield positive outcomes,” he said.

He added that the meeting violated a Supreme Court ruling which reaffirmed that only the National Secretary, in consultation with the National Chairman, could convene NEC meetings.

Read Also: Labour Party threatens to sanction Obi, Otti for planning ‘illegal’ NEC

“Obi and Otti lack the constitutional authority to convene such a meeting. Therefore, both the meeting and its resolutions are null and void,” he stated.

Ibrahim also faulted the list of attendees circulated ahead of the meeting, describing it as evidence of illegality.

Attendees reportedly included the 2023 vice-presidential candidate, serving and former lawmakers, members of the so-called National Caretaker Committee, and representatives of the NLC and TUC.

“There is no mention of any ‘National Caretaker Committee’ in our party constitution. Nor is there any provision for a governor or former presidential candidate to convene a NEC meeting,” Ibrahim said.

He concluded by warning that if party leaders cannot respect internal rules while out of power, they are unlikely to uphold the national constitution if given the opportunity.

“We condemn this illegal meeting in totality and urge members and the public to disregard both the gathering and its outcomes,” he said.

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Alex Otti

Labour Party

Peter Obi

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