In anticipation of the upcoming governorship election in Edo State on Saturday, September 21, the Labour Party conducted its final mega campaign rally. Leaders of the party, including notable figures like Peter Obi and Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, gathered to garner support for the party’s candidate, Olumide Akpata.
Notably absent from the event were the embattled National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, and members of the disputed National Working Committee.
During a press conference in Abuja, the Abure camp, represented by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, accused Obi and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, of betrayal. They criticized the appointment of a caretaker committee, led by Nenadi Usman, to oversee the party’s affairs.
Ifoh expressed disappointment in the actions of Obi and Otti, accusing them of collaborating with the Independent National Electoral Commission to undermine Abure and the NWC.
The party felt let down by these leaders who, according to Ifoh, should have stood by the party during challenging times instead of aligning with the electoral body.
The dispute escalated as the party went to court to challenge INEC’s recognition of the Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee. INEC cited the expiration of the Abure-led executives’ tenure as justification for acknowledging the new committee.
Ifoh vowed to contest this ‘illegal arrangement,’ condemning the undemocratic selection of committee members and accusing INEC of bias and attempting to disrupt the party’s leadership.
The party’s leadership further criticized the leaders for aligning with INEC, highlighting the past failures of the commission during the 2023 general election and cautioning against trusting INEC’s intentions moving forward.