Labour Party leadership rift widens as the Otti–Obi faction submits a fresh 34-man interim list to INEC amid deepening internal battles.
The Labour Party faction aligned with Abia State Governor Alex Otti and former presidential candidate Peter Obi on Friday escalated the Labour Party leadership rift by submitting a fresh 34-man Interim National Working Committee list to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
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The list, endorsed by Interim National Chairman Nenadi Usman and Interim National Secretary Darlington Nwokocha, was addressed to INEC Chairman Prof Joash Amupitan.
The faction stated that the submission superseded an earlier abridged list forwarded in August as well as the list recently presented by National Chairman Julius Abure.
In a cover letter, Usman said the committee was constituted under the statutory National Executive Council resolutions of 18 July 2025 and in accordance with the party constitution.
She maintained that the NEC had empowered the interim leadership to assemble a full committee in line with Article 13 of the Labour Party constitution.
Usman urged INEC to take legal and official notice of the submitted names as the legitimate Interim National Working Committee.
The 34-member list includes Deputy National Chairman (TUC) Mohammed Misau, Deputy National Chairman (Female) Nike Oriola, Deputy National Chairman (NLC) Prof Theophilus Ndubuaku and several other senior figures.
The development came less than 24 hours after the Abure-led camp held a fresh NEC meeting in Abuja attended by INEC officials and former vice-presidential candidate Datti Baba-Ahmed.
The meeting reaffirmed Abure as national chairman, citing recent Supreme Court pronouncements that the internal leadership of political parties is non-justiciable.
Addressing journalists, Abure said the NEC had the authority to manage party affairs between conventions, fill vacant positions and steer the organisation towards the 2027 elections.
He described the Labour Party’s survival through months of turmoil as a powerful statement of resilience within Nigeria’s political landscape.
The rival caretaker committee led by Usman was set up in July by Obi, Otti and other stakeholders following disputes triggered by the 2024 national convention in Nnewi.
Since then, both camps have traded claims backed by competing court orders and constitutional interpretations.
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As the dual leadership structures continue to operate in parallel, the Labour Party faces mounting uncertainty over its cohesion, decision-making and preparations for the next electoral cycle.
