LP faction backs Gov Otti as national leader

The Nenadi Usman faction of the Labour Party has formally recognised Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, as the party’s national leader, while urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fully comply with a Supreme Court judgment that effectively ended the tenure of Julius Abure as the national chairman.

It also reaffirmed that the party’s congresses and national convention would hold in strict compliance with the provisions its constitution.

The resolutions were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of its NWC meeting held on Wednesday.

The communique, sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, was signed by the party’s National Secretary, Darlington Nwokocha.

Deepening factional crisis

The meeting was convened by the Nenadi Usman–led faction of the Labour Party, which has since April 2025 claimed it is the authentic national leadership of thr LP following a Supreme Court judgment that invalidated Mr Abure’s continued stay in office.

In the same vein, Mr Abure insists he is the authentic national chairman, despite the court ruling and subsequent clarifications by INEC.

Wednesday’s meeting, held at the party’s national secretariat, was chaired by Ms Usman, who the faction describes as the legitimate national chair in line with subsisting court decisions.

Context of the meeting

According to the communiqué, the NWC met “at a time of heightened political engagement across the country,” as the party prepares for its congresses and a forthcoming National Convention.

Members reviewed the party’s internal state, organisational activities and recent political developments, including the nationwide membership revalidation and registration exercise and preparations for congresses at various levels.

The NWC also discussed events following the exit of the party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, whose departure has reshaped the party’s post-2023 political trajectory.

Obi’s exit and political recalibration

The committee formally acknowledged Mr Obi’s departure from the LP and wished him well in his future political endeavours.

Mr Obi, who flew the Labour Party flag in the 2023 presidential election, recently defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), ending months of speculation over his political future amid the party’s protracted leadership crisis.

“The national leadership of the Labour Party wishes His Excellency Mr Peter Obi well in his future political endeavours and in his new political party,” the communiqué said.

Otti endorsed as national leader

In what appears to be a strategic move to stabilise the party, the NWC unanimously affirmed Governor Otti as the national Leader of the LP, effectively positioning him as the party’s highest political figure following Mr Obi’s exit.

Mr Otti is currently the party’s only serving governor and its most prominent elected office holder.

INEC, Supreme Court and leadership recognition

A significant portion of the meeting focused on INEC’s press release of 7 January, which reaffirmed a Supreme Court judgment delivered on 4 April 2025.

The court had ruled that Mr Abure’s tenure as national chairman had elapsed, a decision that has remained the legal anchor of the Nenadi Usman faction’s claim to leadership.

The NWC said it received INEC’s clarification “with relief and a sense of institutional clarity.”

It subsequently urged the electoral body to “accord Senator Nenadi Usman and Senator Darlington Nwokocha all rights, recognition, and privileges attached to the office of National Chairman and National Secretary of the Labour Party, in strict compliance with the rule of law and the Supreme Court judgment referenced by INEC.”

The NWC commended party members and Nigerians for their continued interest in the Labour Party, urging greater participation in the ongoing membership revalidation and registration exercise, which it said is aimed at achieving a 10-million-strong membership base nationwide.

It also reaffirmed that all congresses and the National Convention would hold as scheduled and in strict compliance with the party’s constitution.

The leadership pledged to ensure that the processes would be credible, transparent and inclusive, calling on members at all levels to participate actively.

The committee noted with approval the increasing number of Nigerians expressing interest in contesting elections on the platform of the Labour Party, describing the development as a sign of renewed confidence in the party despite its internal challenges.