“Own Up to Your Mistakes, Don’t Blame APC for LP Crisis” – Abure Faction Tells Obi

The Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) has publicly accused Peter Obi, the party’s former presidential candidate, of being the root cause of the ongoing leadership crisis within the party. This follows recent remarks by Obi alleging that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had infiltrated the LP to stir internal turmoil.

Umar Ibrahim, the faction’s national secretary, issued a statement on Tuesday firmly rejecting Obi’s claims and describing them as a misrepresentation of the party’s internal issues. Ibrahim insisted that the current challenges facing the Labour Party are self-inflicted and stem from internal mismanagement orchestrated by Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti.

“The problem with the Labour Party was not created by the ruling party (APC),” Ibrahim stated. “The problem in the Labour Party was created and sustained by Peter Obi and Dr. Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, who is presently serving suspension for anti-party activities.”

He went on to challenge Obi to provide any form of evidence suggesting that the Abure-led leadership was colluding with the APC or the federal government. According to Ibrahim, the burden of accountability lies with Obi, who he accused of failing to provide effective leadership during and after the 2023 elections.

“When good leaders fail, they should own up to their responsibilities. Obi failed to provide leadership for the party. He should own up to his mistakes,” Ibrahim said.

The statement also criticized ongoing efforts by Obi and Otti to portray the party’s internal problems as a result of external interference, calling such claims an attempt to “demarket” the Labour Party.

“We are therefore calling on Peter Obi and other aggrieved members of the party to understand and digest the fact that Barrister Julius Abure’s leadership has come to stay and nothing can change that,” Ibrahim declared.

He concluded by pointing out what he described as the irony of Obi’s allegations, questioning why a leadership that supported Obi during the 2023 general elections would now work with the same ruling party it campaigned against.