Senators and House of Representatives members of the Labour Party (LP) have officially distanced themselves from the faction led by Julius Abure.
They have notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the formation of a new 29-member caretaker committee.
The decision was made during a leadership meeting held in Umuahia, Abia State, which included key party figures such as the LP’s presidential candidate Peter Obi, Governor Alex Otti, and other senior party leaders.
The newly formed committee, chaired by former Finance Minister Senator Nenadi Usman, is tasked with overseeing the party’s operations temporarily. It will organize congresses and a national convention within 180 days to elect new party leadership.
This move follows INEC’s de-recognition of the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) in June 2024, which left a vacuum in the party’s leadership structure.
In a letter addressed to INEC, LP stakeholders stated: “Labour Party has recently faced a leadership crisis, culminating in INEC’s de-recognition of the Abure-led NWC effective June 2024. Given this, the statutory executives, including the Governor, Deputy Governor, legislators, surviving NEC members, representatives of labor unions, governorship candidates, and the 2023 presidential and vice-presidential candidates, convened in Umuahia on September 4, 2024, to establish a Caretaker Committee. This committee will organize congresses and a national convention within 180 days to fill the leadership void.”
