Less than 48 hours after the Julius Abure-led National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party (LP) threatened to sanction the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, over their planned Wednesday summit, both camps have confirmed that the event will go ahead as scheduled.
The Acting Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, and Obi’s media aide, Umar Ibrahim, spoke out in separate phone interviews, refuting claims that Obi and Otti had backed down due to Abure’s threat of disciplinary action.
“This is absurd. If this were a Nollywood script, people would laugh at how ridiculous it is,” Ndubuaku remarked, dismissing the speculations. “Nigerians are capable of both the good and the bad, but this is not one of them.
Ndubuaku confirmed his attendance at the event, asserting that all preparations were in place. Ibrahim also dismissed the rumors, stating, “There is no truth to the claims. If the summit were postponed, I would have issued an official statement. All invited stakeholders are ready for the event today.
When asked about the threat of sanctions from the Labour Party, Ibrahim chose not to comment, stating, “We are not looking for drama with the Labour Party. We will not engage in any disputes.”
The tensions emerged after the Abure-led NEC sacked LP Caucus Leader in the House of Representatives, Afam Ogene, over his alleged involvement in anti-party activities. The NEC further announced that disciplinary action would be taken against Obi and Otti if they proceeded with their planned summit, accusing them of undermining the party.
The disagreement arose after both Abure and Obi separately called for meetings of the NEC to discuss the party’s future in light of a recent Supreme Court judgment. While Abure’s NEC convened a the party’s national headquarters on Monday, Obi and Governor Otti scheduled their stakeholders’ summit for Wednesday, though the venue remained undisclosed.
In a response to the ongoing rift, LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, reiterated that the NEC, as the highest decision-making body of the party, had already made its position clear. “We are monitoring the situation and will respond accordingly at the appropriate time,” Ifoh stated.
