Edo Labour Party Blames Peter Obi for Crisis in Party, Defends Abure

The Edo State chapter of the Labour Party, LP, has alleged that the internal crisis rocking the party nationwide is the making of its 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, and not the National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure.

The state chairman of the party, Hon Elizabeth Ativie, made the claim on Monday during a press briefing in Benin City while reacting to allegations against Abure by Ms Precious Oruche, popularly known as “Mama P.”

Ativie said Ms Oruche, in her posts, falsely accused Abure of frustrating Nigerians and being declared wanted by the police over alleged forgery. She dismissed the allegations as baseless and aimed at tarnishing the image of the party leadership.

The Edo LP chairman accused Obi of failing to resolve post-primary election disputes across the country, which she described as the root of the party’s ongoing crisis.

She further alleged that ahead of the 2024 governorship election in Edo State, the National Working Committee, NWC, had resolved to zone the party’s ticket to Edo Central senatorial district, in line with similar decisions by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

According to her, instead of implementing the zoning decision, Obi visited Benin City to endorse Barrister Olumide Akpata as the party’s governorship candidate.

“First, we want to state clearly here that the problem in the Labour Party was created by Peter Obi,” Ativie said.

“It was him and Dr Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia State, that convened the ill-fated and illegally expanded stakeholders meeting in Umuahia on September 4, 2024, with the sole aim of removing a legally constituted National Working Committee through underhand means. Since then, the party has become factionalised,” she added.

Ativie accused Obi of desperation to control the party’s structure despite the goodwill he had enjoyed from the leadership.

“This is a man we laboured for without even a bicycle as a donation to the party; a man we risked our lives for during campaigns and stood by throughout the legal tussles. Yet, his best way of showing appreciation was to bite the fingers that fed him,” she stated.

She maintained that Obi “lacks the competence, character, and capacity to actualise the vision of a new Nigeria,” and warned Nigerians to be cautious of his political ambitions.