The leadership tussle within the Labour Party took a new turn on Monday as the National Chairman, Julius Abure, and the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, separately called for meetings of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC). The parallel gatherings are aimed at deliberating on the party’s future following the Supreme Court’s judgment delivered last Friday.
While Abure scheduled his NEC meeting to hold at the party’s national headquarters, Obi and the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, opted for a different venue to hold their own meeting with key stakeholders.
The announcements were made through separate statements sighted by The PUNCH.
A statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, stated, “PRESS INVITATION: The National Executive Committee meeting of the Labour Party held on Monday, April 7, 2025, at the National Party Secretariat.”
Shortly after Abure’s notice was made public, Obi and Otti released their own invitation, which many observers see as a strategic move to rally support from within the party.
According to a statement signed by Obi’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Umar, “The two leading figures of the Labour Party, the 2023 presidential flag bearer Peter Obi and the sole state governor of the party, Alex Otti of Abia State, have summoned the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party in Abuja on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.”
The statement further noted, “In a notice signed by the two men, the NEC meeting shall be followed concurrently by an interactive Town Hall Engagement with major stakeholders and other organs of the party at Transcorp Hilton Hotel.”
Those expected at the meeting include the party’s 2023 vice presidential candidate, current and former senators, senatorial candidates, as well as current and former members of the House of Representatives.
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