It is now evidently clear to everyone who has followed recent events in the Labour Party, that our former national chairman… has gone mad again.”
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily –In a dramatic escalation of the leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP), three members of the House of Representatives have fired back at the party’s former national chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, describing him as a “shameless impostor” and accusing him of working to destroy the very party he once led.
The lawmakers – Hon. Afam Victor Ogene (LP Caucus Leader), Hon. Seyi Sowunmi (Deputy Leader), and Hon. Amobi Ogah, issued a scathing joint statement on Wednesday, dismissing their purported suspension by Abure as “laughable” and a product of “a dethroned emperor’s desperation.”
Titled “Our Former National Chairman Goes Mad Again,” the statement comes a day after Abure, whose tenure as chairman was nullified by a Supreme Court ruling, announced the suspension of the three lawmakers.
He also claimed to have suspended high-profile party figures, including Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti, Senators Ireti Kingibe and Darlington Nwokocha.
But the legislators rejected the declaration as baseless and self-serving. “It is now evidently clear to everyone who has followed recent events in the Labour Party, that our former national chairman… has gone mad again,” they said, accusing Abure of orchestrating chaos in the party in a bid to remain politically relevant.
They alleged that under Abure’s leadership, the party became “a criminal enterprise,” enriching itself by selling tickets to desperate aspirants and delivering poor results in key elections.
“From Kogi to Bayelsa, Ondo to Edo, what Abure has done is lead the Party to disastrous outcomes,” the statement read.
The lawmakers further described Abure’s tenure as one plagued by “moral bankruptcy” and “abuse of official malfeasance,” pointing to his failure to even secure his polling unit during the 2023 general elections.
“Even in his native Edo, he was dragged on the floor like a common felon over misappropriated funds,” they alleged.
Accusing him of aligning with external forces to desdestabilise Labour Party, the lawmakers called out Abure’s media blitz as a desperate publicity stunt.
“Which self-respecting national chairman busies himself running around media houses like a press boy?” they asked.
The three representatives challenged Abure and his allies to name a single political heavyweight they have brought into the party since 2023, emphasising it was the “Peter Obi effect” that boosted the party’s fortunes, not any strategic vision by the ousted chairman.
Concluding their statement, the lawmakers said: “Abure has appointed himself as a willing undertaker for the destruction of the soul of the Labour Party. But ironically, he is only supervising the burial plan of his image and integrity.”
The latest development marks another chapter in the internal strife that has plagued the Labour Party since its surprise rise in the 2023 elections, raising questions about its ability to present a united front ahead of future polls.