The crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) has further escalated as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, and his supporters, known as Obidients, have abandoned the party’s national chairman, Julius Abure, to his fate.
According to reports, the move is not unconnected to the internal crisis rocking the party structure since the 2023 general elections.
After a series of legal battles with the factional chairman of the party, Lamidi Apapa, Abure has been in the news over alleged financial impropriety and other disturbing issues.
According to reliable sources, Comrade Isaac Balami, a former Deputy National Campaign Manager to Peter Obi/Dati Presidential Campaign from the northern region, may take over from Abure.
An insider quoted in the report that some party leaders and chieftains have had a meeting and suggested Belami as the party’s next National Chairman.
When contacted, Balami said he was “under pressure to run for the chairmanship of the party”, but that there are issues on ground still stopping his declaration.
According to him, he doesn’t even know whether the convention will be held as scheduled as “there are forces fighting against the unity and progress of the party”.
He added: “But then, I can’t refuse or turn down a request coming directly from the youth constituency of the party.
“You know they were instrumental to the change in the political narrative and advancement of the Labour Party in the last election, so we can’t joke with their position.
“I truly appreciate their commitment to the success of our party and I won’t take their call for granted.
”In a couple of hours, we shall make our final decision on this matter.”
