Former National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has cautioned the leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) against what he described as granting excessive influence to former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, and his supporters within the party.
Abure made the remarks in a statement issued on June 8, 2026, while reacting to reports of disagreements over the sharing of elective positions within the NDC.
The embattled Labour Party chieftain said the decision of the NDC leadership, led by Senator Seriake Dickson, not to concede all political positions demanded by Obi’s supporters was justified, citing the Labour Party’s experience during and after the 2023 general elections.
According to Abure, several politicians who secured elective offices on the Labour Party platform later turned against the party leadership instead of contributing to the party’s growth.
“They say history usually repeats itself. Senator Dickson and Co have seen their trajectory and learnt from what happened to us,” Abure stated.
He alleged that many office holders who benefited from the Labour Party’s platform eventually aligned with Obi and became involved in disputes over the party’s leadership structure.
Abure further claimed that the Labour Party leadership made significant sacrifices ahead of the 2023 elections by accommodating Obi’s supporters in the allocation of party tickets.
“We only looked at his body language and obliged most of his supporters with tickets. Most of the tickets were given for free because we believed we were investing in those persons,” he said.
The former LP chairman also accused some elected officials of supporting efforts to challenge the party leadership after winning elections on the party’s platform.
“All those elected under the party, Obi took them to fight the leadership of the party,” he alleged.
Abure argued that political parties must maintain a balance in the distribution of positions and influence to ensure internal stability and loyalty.
“It is very good for Seriake Dickson not to have given Obi supporters all they needed in the NDC. He needed to bring his own people so that when the chips are down, he will also have people that will speak and defend him,” he added.
He further accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of contributing to the leadership crisis that emerged within the Labour Party after the 2023 elections, alleging that some party leaders embraced claims that the tenure of the party’s executives had expired.
“The leaders, particularly Peter Obi and Alex Otti, decided to take over the leadership of the party,” Abure alleged.
He maintained that his comments were prompted by questions from members of the public regarding how the Labour Party managed its relationship with Obi and his supporters during the 2022/2023 election cycle.
