By Ayomide Otitoju
Kenneth Okonkwo, a prominent chieftain of the Labour Party, stated on Friday that he does not recognize Julius Abure as the party’s leader. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Okonkwo confirmed that he remains a member of the Labour Party, but not under Abure’s chairmanship.
“As it is now, I have already left if Abure is the Chairman,” he declared, indicating a clear division within the party’s leadership.
Okonkwo, a former spokesperson for the Labour Party’s presidential campaign council, previously announced his departure from the party in July 2024. He also distanced himself from former presidential candidate Peter Obi. However, during the program, he insisted, “I am a member of the Labour Party, but not under Julius Abure. If Abure manages to wangle himself and becomes the National Chairman, it is automatic,” he explained.
The Labour Party has been facing significant internal turmoil, with both Esther Nenadi Usman and Abure claiming leadership roles. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has invalidated Abure’s leadership, citing that the national convention that recognized him was in violation of the constitution and the Electoral Act.
This led to the appointment of Usman, a former senator from Kaduna South, as the chair of a 29-member caretaker committee on September 4, 2024, following a stakeholders meeting convened by Abia State Governor Alex Otti in Umuahia. Notable attendees of this meeting included LP’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed.
Adding to the confusion, the Court of Appeal in Abuja recently affirmed Abure’s status as the national chairman of the Labour Party. In a judgment delivered on January 17 by Justice Hamma Barka, the court upheld its earlier decision from November 2024, which recognized Abure as the party’s chairman, dismissing challenges posed by Usman’s caretaker committee and INEC
