- Party Chairman Consolidates Power
By Abiola Olawale
The crisis rocking the Labour Party appears to have taken another dimension as Governor Alex Otti and the National Working Committee of the party led by National Chairman Julius Abure are at loggerheads over the leadership of the party. Abure appears to have brushed Otti aside while advancing on his political goals.
Otti, who is the only governor elected under the platform of the Labour Party was said to have expressed his dissatisfaction about the leadership situation of the party.
The governor was said to have called for the immediate dissolution of the current leadership of the party.
According to reports, the governor had recently met with the national chairman of the party, Julius Abure where he tendered his intent to convene a NEC meeting on Saturday, August 31.
The governor argued that the tenure of the party’s current leadership had expired long ago.
However, the NWC of the party, rose from a meeting convened by Abure on Tuesday, with a resolution countering and brushing aside Otti’s move, stating that there is no “vacuum in the leadership of our Party”.
The NWC maintained that the party held a national convention on March 27, 2024, where Abure and other executives were elected.
In a statement on its official website, the party queried why Otti, who was ably represented by his Deputy at the convention that took place in Nnewi, Anambra State is still calling for the dissolution of leadership.
The statement reads in part: “The NWC must also state in addition, that the Labour Party is different from other Political Parties in the sense that it is not a party that is controlled by one man, woman or leader; neither is it a party that can be put in the pocket of one person.
“It is a party for the generality of the people. For these reasons, it was possible to record the successes it made in the 2023 general election.
“The outlook of the party made it possible for people like Dr Alex Otti to use the platform and win in 2023 after trying and failing in APC, PDP and even APGA. Therefore, the ideology, principles, ideals and outlook of the party must be maintained.”
The New Diplomat reports that Abure had been battling over control of the leadership position of the Labour Party.
This is as several members had accused Abure and the NWC of sidelining them during the national convention that was held on March 27, 2024.
