The Chairperson of the Labour Party (LP) Caretaker Committee, Nenadi Usman, has openly challenged factional party leader Julius Abure over his threat to expose key members of her camp, including Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti.
Abure, who claims to be the LP National Chairman, had on Monday issued a fiery warning, vowing to publicly disgrace members of the opposing faction if provoked further. “I am waiting for them… when I open my mouth, they will be like smelly eggs, rotten eggs no one will buy,” he said.
In response, Usman, speaking during a national television breakfast program, dismissed Abure’s threats as empty rhetoric and called on him to present any evidence he claims to possess.
“I challenge him to expose us—don’t just talk, act. If he has anything, let him bring it out,” she said, asserting that the party already has documented cases of Abure’s misconduct, some of which are reportedly under police investigation.
“The people he wronged have already taken their complaints to the authorities,” she added. “The police are looking into it, and the public will soon know the truth.”
Usman, a former Finance Minister, further criticized the ongoing leadership crisis in the LP, framing it as a broader assault on internal party democracy.
“Democracy thrives on vibrant opposition. When the opposition tries to merge with the ruling party, that’s a real threat,” she stated.
She reaffirmed that Abure’s term as national chairman had expired and said the Labour Party acted within legal and electoral guidelines to fill the leadership void, following a directive from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“At one point, even INEC had issues with his continued leadership. His tenure had ended, and during a meeting with political party leaders, he and his secretary were asked to step out,” Usman recounted.
Following that episode, she noted, Abure went to court and obtained a ruling ordering INEC to continue recognizing him—a move she suggested contradicts the democratic principles the party should uphold.
