Labour Party Crisis Deepens as Gov Otti’s Aide Blames Abure for Internal Turmoil

The internal crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) has intensified, with Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Abia State Governor Alex Otti, accusing the party’s suspended National Chairman, Julius Abure, of being the architect of the party’s disintegration.

Speaking during an interview on Nigeria Info FM on Wednesday, Ekeoma alleged that Abure had betrayed the progressive values of the Labour Party, placing personal interest above the party’s integrity.

“Mr. Abure is the one destroying the Labour Party. He’s betraying the progressive ideals of the party and, by extension, betraying Nigerians,” Ekeoma said.

He claimed that Abure compromised the party’s structure for selfish gains and vowed that evidence would be presented at the appropriate time to substantiate the allegations.

“At the right time, we will prove that this man sacrificed the party’s integrity for selfish reasons,” he stated.

Ekeoma also criticized Abure’s leadership style, saying the LP lacked real organizational presence in many states before prominent figures like Governor Otti joined.

“For instance, before Governor Alex Otti and others joined, the Labour Party didn’t even have an office in Abia. Yet Abure acted as though the party was firmly established across the country,” he said.

While denying allegations of bribery, Ekeoma acknowledged that Abure and other party officials received financial and logistical support during the 2023 general elections.

“I’m not talking about bribes; I’m talking about support. It wasn’t wrong to assist the national chairman or the party. But there were compromises everywhere you looked,” he added.

In response to Abure’s public challenge for proof of financial support, Ekeoma dismissed the remarks, saying, “If Abure meant well for the party, he wouldn’t be boasting. We’re just laughing. He thinks he’s dealing with kids.”

The remarks come on the heels of a bold challenge by Abure, who during a speech in Abuja, dared LP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor Alex Otti, to provide proof of any financial contributions made to him personally or to the party.

In a video broadcast by Symfoni, Abure denied ever receiving funds from candidates and threatened to expose what he described as hidden truths if provoked further.

“If they provoke me, I will open my mouth and they will stink like rotten eggs,” Abure said, warning that those accusing him of corruption would regret doing so.

He insisted that the LP welcomed candidates without asking for money and recounted a private meeting with Otti at Transcorp Hilton, during which he declined personal assistance.

“When I met him at Transcorp, he asked me, ‘Chairman, what do I do for you?’ I said, ‘Nothing. Put your money together and use it for the election,’” Abure recalled.

Abure maintained that despite their victories, including Otti’s governorship, the party did not receive a single naira from them, saying, “We supported them, but today the party has no N1,000 from any of them.”

The escalating tension has cast a dark cloud over the Labour Party, which once galvanized the support of millions of Nigerians—particularly youths and urban voters—during the 2023 general elections. With accusations and counter-accusations deepening, the party’s unity and direction remain in question.