Labour Party crisis deepens as Abure and Otti factions clash over Peter Obi’s possible 2027 alliance with the ADC ahead of Nigeria’s next election
Labour Party Crisis has taken a new and dramatic turn as loyalists of the embattled National Chairman, Julius Abure, and supporters of Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, clashed again over the future of former presidential candidate, Peter Obi. At the centre of the renewed row is whether Obi should contest the 2027 presidential election under a coalition with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Also read: Labour Party condemns Benjamin Kalu’s attack on Governor Otti
The fresh confrontation, marked by sharp exchanges between both factions, highlights widening fractures within the opposition party as it struggles to position itself against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Factional National Publicity Secretary loyal to Obi and Otti, Prince Tony Akeni, told The PUNCH that Tinubu’s government could be defeated in 2027 if the opposition unites behind a single candidate.
He warned that the president’s preoccupation with political realignments rather than governance would ultimately prove to be his undoing.
“What should be conveyed to Tinubu and his brinksmen is sympathy,” Akeni said. “Let him know that we of the Labour Party sympathise with him because he is carrying, with this decamping domino, a nest of soldier ants.”
Akeni further urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to abandon his presidential ambition and rally behind Obi, saying genuine opposition unity was essential to rescue Nigeria from what he called “the agony of misrule.”
“If Atiku can go deep inside his soul and demonstrate that he truly loves this country by standing up to support Obi for the presidency, he can then choose anybody of his choice, even his lastborn, as vice presidential candidate,” he said.
According to Akeni, only a cohesive opposition front could unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress, describing Obi as a disciplined reformer capable of replicating Singapore’s transformation under Lee Kuan Yew.
However, the Abure-led faction quickly dismissed suggestions of any merger or coalition with the ADC, insisting that the Labour Party remained strong and independent.
Factional spokesman Obiora Ifoh said, “The Labour Party has not had any discussion with anybody. Politics is dynamic, but today, the Labour Party is standing on its own because we believe any candidate we field can win in 2027. There is no automatic ticket for anyone.”
Reacting to the wave of defections to the APC, Ifoh accused politicians of “self-preservation, greed and fear,” arguing that ordinary Nigerians — not defectors — would determine the outcome of future elections.
“Some are defecting because they want to win re-election or avoid prosecution after office,” he said. “But Nigerians will decide who becomes president, governor or senator in 2027, not these individuals.”
He warned that the growing concentration of political power in the APC could undermine Nigeria’s democracy, describing it as a “gravitational pull” that fuels impunity and weakens accountability.
Also read: Labour Party Slams Tinubu Over Rising Insecurity
As the 2027 race intensifies, the deepening Labour Party Crisis raises doubts about whether the once-energised Obidient Movement can stay united — or become yet another casualty of Nigeria’s turbulent opposition politics.
