- Abure: “We Are working to reconcile all parties”
By Abiola Olawale
After an escalating leadership crisis that has been the lot of the Labour Party(LP), it appears all might be well soon as the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Mahmood Yakubu appears to have recognized Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the party.
This is as Yakubu welcomed Abure back into the fold of the coalition of National Chairmen of political parties in Nigeria.
Yaaku, during a high-level meeting of National Chairmen held on Wednesday in Abuja, congratulated Abure on securing his position as the leader of the Labour Party.
During the occasion of the first consultative meeting of INEC and the leadership of the political parties in 2025, Yakubu commended Abure for what he described as “his resilience and sticking to the rule of law,” adding that “Good to see you.”
At the end of the meeting, Abure, who spoke with the press, debunked reports suggesting that Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and the Labour Party’s presidential candidate of 2023, Peter Obi, are working against the party.
Abure maintained that while there might be misunderstandings within the party, all members of the party remain a family.
He insisted that the misunderstanding had been exaggerated, adding that all misunderstandings would be resolved amicably within the family.
Abure also appreciated both the High Court and Court of Appeal for their judgments which favored him. He, however, vowed that under his watch, the party would reconcile all aggrieved members of the party and reposition the party for future elections.
This statements were also contained in a press statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh.
He stated: “Let me first appreciate the Appeal Court for doing justice, for looking at the whole matter and resolving it in our favor, which ordinarily is in line with the law of the land, the constitution of Nigeria, the electoral law, and the party constitution. So we want to appreciate the Court of Appeal judges. We also want to appreciate the High Court judges who had earlier delivered judgment in favor of the leadership of the party.
“I want to say essentially that the squabbles within the party ought to be a family affair, and that is how I see it. For me, there are no hard feelings. As I said before, for all those who may have one grievance or the other against the leadership of the party, it is an opportunity for all of us to come together, reconcile our differences, and chart a way forward for our party.
“For me, I am open for reconciliation and the party will apply every measure to bring everybody within the party for us to discuss and chart a way forward for the party. I believe the interest of Nigeria and the interest of the party supersede every other interest. So it is my appeal for every aggrieved member of the party to come back for the interest of the party and the interest of Nigeria.”
This comes after the Appeal Court in Abuja on Friday affirmed the legitimacy of Abure’s leadership. Ax three-member panel, led by Justice Hamma Barka, upheld the October 8 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to grant the LP under Abure’s leadership all the rights and privileges accorded a political party duly registered in the country.
The appellate court said it found no reason to dislodge the judgment that was delivered in Abure’s favor by Justice Emeka Nwite.
It would be recalled that following a leadership crisis that rocked the LP, the National Executive Committee, of the party resolved to remove Abure as the National Chairman.
To fill the leadership vacuum, the party constituted a 29-member caretaker committee, with ex-minister Nenadi Usman, as Chairman and Darlington Nwokocha as Secretary, respectively.
The decision was the outcome of an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party that was hosted in Umuahia by Governor Otti and chaired by Obi.
