By Charles Pemu 
Abuja, Nigeria – May 12, 2025
The internal crisis within the Labour Party (LP) has taken a new turn as the Julius Abure-led faction calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and rein in Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, over alleged threats to the party’s leadership.
At a press conference held in Abuja on Monday, the factional National Secretary of the party, Alhaji Umar Farouk, accused Governor Otti of attempting to intimidate and undermine the authority of National Chairman Julius Abure. Farouk alleged that the governor recently called for Abure’s arrest, an action he described as “an overreach and a flagrant display of disregard for party leadership.”
“We strongly condemn this despicable action by Governor Otti, who was recently suspended by the party. We are appealing to President Tinubu and other well-meaning Nigerians to intervene and stop the governor from further threatening the peace and stability of our party,” Farouk said.
The Abure faction further accused Governor Otti of a sustained campaign of intimidation against party leaders. Farouk cited incidents in which the governor allegedly ordered the arrest and detention of the National Vice Chairman, Comrade Ceekay Igara, the Abia State Chairman, Prince Ndubeze, and other officials for holding what he described as a lawful meeting in Aba.
According to Farouk, the faction has evidence of a meeting held at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, during which Governor Otti allegedly issued threats against Abure and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), vowing to bring about a “doomsday” for the current leadership.
The faction also responded to remarks reportedly made by the governor, who described Abure as “a clown in search of a crown.” Farouk countered that Abure had been National Chairman before Otti joined the party in 2022, asserting that the governor had benefited politically from the party’s leadership.
“As of 2022, when Governor Otti joined the Labour Party after being rejected by several other parties, Abure was already the National Chairman. Otti, who has contributed little to the party since his election, is the one playing the clown,” Farouk said.
He added that since assuming office, Governor Otti has distanced himself from the party’s national leadership and allegedly failed to acknowledge the presence of NWC members at his inauguration ceremony. Farouk described the experience as a “one chance” encounter and claimed the governor’s actions are part of a wider plan to weaken the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Clarifying the recent Supreme Court ruling, Farouk emphasized that the court neither removed Abure as National Chairman nor granted leadership control to Otti or his allies. He reiterated that the judgment clearly stated that internal leadership matters within political parties are not justiciable.
“The Supreme Court’s position is unambiguous—party leadership issues are internal affairs. Governor Otti and his associates have no legal grounds to claim control of the party,” he said.
The faction concluded by calling on President Tinubu to take steps to prevent what it described as “emerging tyranny in a democratic system.” It also appealed to the Nigerian public to support efforts to preserve the party’s leadership and democratic values.