Peter Obi Labour Party rift escalates as Abure faction rejects Obi’s call to back ADC in August 16 bye-election, insists LP has valid candidates
The Peter Obi Labour Party rift has intensified as the Julius Abure-led faction of the party openly criticised the former presidential candidate for urging supporters to vote for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the upcoming August 16, 2025 bye-election.
Also read: Labour Party Moves to Expel Peter Obi Over Coalition Involvement
Obi, who has not officially joined another political party but has maintained close ties with the ADC, on Thursday advised his followers under the Obidient and COPDEM coalitions to vote for ADC candidates.
His rationale: the Labour Party (LP) lacks recognised candidates, due to ongoing internal party disputes.
“The Labour Party has no recognised candidates by INEC due to the internal crisis,” Obi stated.
“I humbly urge every member of the Obidient and COPDEM families to go out and vote for the coalition political party, African Democratic Congress, in their respective states.”
Reacting swiftly on Friday, Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure released a strongly worded statement rejecting Obi’s position and accusing him of misleading party loyalists.
“The party said that Obi’s directive is misleading, mischievous and delusional,” the statement read.
“We are calling on all our faithful party members to ignore this malicious directive and vote for the Labour Party and its candidates.”
Abure insisted that LP is fully participating in the elections, contrary to Obi’s claims, and that the party has fulfilled all legal requirements to ensure its presence on the ballot.
“What Obi does not know is that the Labour Party is on the ballot. Unknown to him, we’ve done everything within the law to ensure our candidates are contesting,” Abure added.
This public disagreement underscores the widening gap between Peter Obi and the leadership of the Labour Party, which supported his 2023 presidential bid.
Though Obi continues to enjoy grassroots support from his Obidient movement, party insiders say his increasingly independent political moves are causing internal rifts.
While it’s unclear whether Obi plans to defect officially to ADC or another party ahead of 2027, his latest move may further complicate LP’s internal crisis and fuel speculation about his political future.
With just days to the bye-election, the fallout could affect voter turnout and party cohesion across several states.
Also read: Abure Explains Wike’s Meeting as Labour Party Faces Internal Rift
As tensions rise, the rift between Obi and the Labour Party hierarchy signals more turbulent days ahead in Nigeria’s opposition politics.
