Nigerian politician and lawyer, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused the Julius Abure-led leadership of the Labour Party (LP) of allegedly acting as agents of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, claiming they are being used to destabilize the party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
In an interview with Symfoni TV published on Saturday, Okonkwo alleged that the Abure faction misled and deceived Obi, despite still being publicly recognized by him.
“I told Obi that these people had become agents in the hands of the government to destabilise him,” Okonkwo stated. “But within 72 hours, Obi went back to Abure’s office to publicly endorse them.”
The LP has been embroiled in a leadership crisis, with multiple factions vying for control of the party’s chairmanship. Despite the internal wrangling, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) continues to recognize Abure as the official National Chairman.
Recently, Peter Obi alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had infiltrated the Labour Party (LP), fueling the party’s leadership disputes. However, Umar Ibrahim, LP’s National Secretary, refuted Obi’s claims, asserting that the crisis stemmed from internal issues common to many political parties.
As it stands, Julius Abure, Lamidi Apapa Arabambi, and Nenadi Usman are locked in a struggle for the Labour Party’s leadership position.
