Former Labour Party chairman Julius Abure has blamed Peter Obi and Alex Otti for triggering the ongoing leadership crisis within the party, according to a report by Channels Television.

Leadership dispute escalates

In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Abure claimed that the party had been stable until Obi and Otti allegedly supported the creation of a caretaker committee in Umuahia. He described the move as the beginning of the internal breakdown.

Abure said: “Alex Otti and Peter Obi destabilised the tranquillity of the party,” insisting the intervention disrupted what he described as a previously smooth-running structure.

The claims were reported by Channels Television.

Counter claims over legitimacy

Abure rejected suggestions that he was an outsider in the party, insisting he remained a legitimate leader within the structure of the Labour Party.

He also referred to Senator Nenadi Usman as the “interloper”, further intensifying divisions within the party’s leadership tussle.

The dispute has continued between rival factions led by Abure and a caretaker committee linked to Usman.

Legal battle continues

Abure maintained that court rulings had, at different stages, affirmed his leadership position, citing judgments from the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal. He said his faction has appealed recent rulings and is awaiting a final decision from the Supreme Court.

The crisis follows years of internal conflict within the party after the 2023 general elections.

Key figures mentioned in the dispute include Julius Abure, Peter Obi, Alex Otti, and Nenadi Usman.