Abure Cautions NDC Leadership Over Alliance With Peter Obi
Factional National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure, has advised Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), to exercise caution in his political partnership with Peter Obi and his supporters, warning against a repeat of the internal crisis that affected the Labour Party after the 2023 elections. Abure made the remarks in a statement issued on Monday following Obi’s emergence as the NDC presidential candidate, a position ratified during the party’s national convention held in Abuja on May 30. Reflecting on developments within the Labour Party after the 2023 polls, Abure said Dickson appeared to have taken lessons from the LP’s experience by reportedly ensuring that key party positions were not entirely ceded to Obi’s supporters. According to him, political parties must maintain a balance in their leadership structure to avoid future disputes over control and direction. Abure alleged that several politicians who benefited from the Labour Party platform in 2023 later distanced themselves from the party leadership, citing Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti among those he claimed no longer supported the leadership that backed their ambitions. He maintained that the Labour Party made significant concessions before the 2023 elections, including granting tickets to many Obi-aligned candidates in a bid to strengthen the party’s electoral prospects. “We accommodated many of Obi’s supporters and ensured their interests were represented because we believed it would strengthen the party,” he said.
The LP chieftain further argued that the party’s leadership crisis worsened after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) acted on a court ruling concerning the tenure of party executives, a development that eventually paved the way for the emergence of the Nenadi Usman-led interim national committee. Abure said political leaders should ensure that trusted allies occupy strategic positions within their parties to preserve institutional stability and defend the party’s interests when disagreements arise. He also claimed that many Obi supporters who moved into the NDC hoped to gain significant influence within the party structure, similar to what he alleged occurred within the Labour Party. The remarks add another dimension to ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with major opposition figures and parties continuing efforts to build alliances and strengthen their structures nationwide.
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