A fresh leadership crisis appears to have erupted within the Labour Party (LP) over the participation of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the newly launched opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with one faction issuing a 48-hour ultimatum for his resignation and another dismissing the directive as baseless and mischievous.
On Thursday, the Julius Abure-led faction of the party called on Obi to formally resign his membership within 48 hours, accusing him of aligning with a coalition of “power mongers” and engaging in dual political loyalties. The coalition, unveiled in Abuja on Wednesday, includes political heavyweights such as Atiku Abubakar, Nasir el-Rufai, Rauf Aregbesola, and Rotimi Amaechi, and is aimed at challenging President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Speaking through its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the Abure-led group alleged that Obi had been secretly lobbying LP members to defect to the ADC-led alliance. Ifoh maintained that the Labour Party is not part of the coalition and declared that any member involved in it must resign immediately.
“We are aware of several nocturnal meetings between Peter Obi and some of our members, lobbying them to join him in his new party. We’re also aware that a number of them have refused to defect with him,” Ifoh stated.
He added, “Labour Party has consistently said it is not part of the coalition and therefore, any of our members who is part of the coalition is given within 48 hours to formally resign his membership of the party.”
Ifoh also criticised Obi’s popular “New Nigeria” mantra as misleading, claiming it cannot be achieved with “recycled, desperate, and frustrated politicians.”
However, the Senator Nenadi Usman-led faction of the Labour Party has distanced itself from the ultimatum, describing it as the handiwork of “political jesters” and “impostors” who lack legitimacy within the party.
In a counter-statement signed by Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Assistant (Media) to the Acting National Chairman, Nenadi Usman, the faction reaffirmed its full support for Obi’s role in the coalition talks, stating that his participation had the blessing of the party’s leadership.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the leadership of the Labour Party, on May 26, 2025, publicly declared its full support for Mr. Obi’s involvement in the coalition efforts aimed at creating a robust political alternative to rescue Nigeria from the disastrous misrule of the APC. That position has not changed,” the statement read.
It added, “The individuals claiming to have issued an ultimatum to Mr. Obi are political jesters with no legitimate standing in the Labour Party. They are neither recognised by the party nor by the law, having long been sacked by the Supreme Court of Nigeria – the highest court in the land – and suspended from the party for serial acts of indiscipline and anti-party activities.”
The Usman faction urged the public and media to disregard what it called distractions from “discredited elements,” and maintained that the only legitimate source of official party communication is the office of the Acting National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman.
Obi’s role in the new coalition, which analysts have dubbed a major third-force alliance, has stirred political debate nationwide. The alliance's interim leadership includes former Senate President David Mark as Chairman and former Osun governor Rauf Aregbesola as Secretary.
As both factions of the LP clash over Obi’s coalition involvement, the unfolding drama signals deeper fractures within the party that could shape the opposition’s strength—or fragility—ahead of the 2027 general election.
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