The leadership struggle within the Labour Party (LP), took a dramatic turn on Monday as both the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, and its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, separately called for National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday.
Abure’s NEC meeting is set to take place at the LP’s national headquarters, while Obi, alongside Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, opted for a different venue for their stakeholder’s summit.
Both camps made their announcements in separate brief statements provided to “The PUNCH”.
A statement from the LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, read: “PRESS INVITATION: The National Executive Committee meeting of the Labour Party will take place on Monday, April 7, 2025, at the National Party Secretariat.”
Less than an hour after Abure’s invitation was issued, Obi and Otti followed suit, sending out invitations for a stakeholder’s meeting, which many observers see as an attempt to rally support and shift the balance of loyalty within the party.
A statement from Obi’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Umar, read in part: “The two leading figures of the Labour Party, 2023 presidential flagbearer Peter Obi and the party’s sole state governor, Alex Otti of Abia State, have summoned the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to meet in Abuja on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.”
Umar further stated: “The NEC meeting will be followed by an interactive Town Hall Engagement, set to take place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, where key stakeholders and other LP organs will gather.
Attendees will include the vice presidential candidate from the 2023 election, current and former senators and senatorial candidates of the LP, as well as current and former members of the House of Representatives and LP candidates from the 2023 election.”
The competing NEC meetings mark a new chapter in the growing power struggle within the Labour Party, with both sides aiming to solidify their influence in light of the Supreme Court’s decision.
Further updates are expected as events unfold.
