Politics
LP crisis: Omar threatens to flush out Abure
The Labour Party (LP) leadership tussle deepened yesterday as its National Transition Committee (LPNTC) insisted that the national chairman, Julius Abure, must resign.
The labour leaders, who stormed the venue of the meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja, said the tenure of Abure and others members of the NWC would expire by month end.
The meeting was convened by LP presidential candidate in last year’s election, Peter Obi.
As the labour leaders attempted to enter the venue, the police fired teargas to disperse them.
Transition Committee Chairman Comrade Abdulwahed Omar said it is “either we find our way forward or we make our way forward.”
Omar, a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said: “The issue at hand is that the tenures of Abure and the National Working Committee had expired by the end of this month. And there can not be a vacuum in leadership.
“We have tried to do it peacefully. As much as possible, if we can resolve this issue without fighting, that will be good. But from what we have witnessed today, it appears certainly, that it is either we find our way forward or we make our way forward. This I assure you.”
He added: “We will not tolerate lawlessness, but if anybody decides to be lawless because he has power to pay and subvert our efforts, I want to assure that we are also capable of doing whatever anybody can do. We can do more.”
Omar said the committee has been given the mandate by stakeholders to organise a new and an all-inclusive national convention.
Obi, who addressed the labour leaders outside the party secretariat, said he convened the meeting to reconcile aggrieved party members.
He urged the party leaders to reconcile aggrieved party members and supporters.
Obi said every discord within the party would be addressed in no distant time.
He said party leaders must sit at a table and decide the future of the party.
Obi said the reconciliation between the party and its estranged former leaders, led by former Deputy National Chairman (South), Lamidi Apapa ,was a welcome development.
He said: “Let me tell you one thing; their reconciliation is all about our party and I can assure you that everyone must reconcile with each other.
“During our meeting before we learnt that our people were outside, I told them that my first assignment was reconciliation, my second assignment was reconciliation and my third assignment, reconciliation.
“I can tell you that what you witnessed earlier is a normal thing in our lives. I do the same thing. It is what I do every day, even in our families. When we quarrel with our wives and children, we reconcile. Even today, during the meeting, I made one instance which is that I have come to start the work of reconciling the family.”
Obi added: “So, these people here are members of the family who we must reconcile with. We are going to sit down around a table and decide the future of our party. I am ready for a reconciliation meeting any day you choose.
“And I like what happened here today. This means we have just started the reconciliation process and what we achieved today was so much, as I told you sometimes it happens in my house and I allow it because that is the only way I know how mature my children have become.”
Abure, in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, expressed satisfaction with the leadership roles Obi has been playing in the party.
He said: “Labour Party is happy with your reconciliation project and we will give you all the supports. We are not the aggressor here, we have always wanted peace because we can’t go into future elections with a divided loyalty.
“We have said that we are focused on 2027, that is why we are the only party that has produced its candidate for the 2027 presidential election. We know where we are going and we have refused to be distracted. We will definitely get to our destination of giving Nigerians a better nation.”
The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has announced a postponement in date of resumption of plenary sittings from April 29 to May 6, 2025.
The announcement was contained in an internal memo dated April 20, 2025, addressed to all senators and signed by the Senate Clerk, Andrew Ogbonna Nwoba.
The memo is reproduced in extenso hereunder:
“Distinguished Senators,
“I am directed to inform you that the resumption of plenary sittings of the Senate, earlier scheduled for Tuesday 29th, April 2025, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, 6th May 2025.
“This postponement is made to allow Distinguished Senators, stay with their constituents, during the International Workers’ Day public holiday, in the first week of May, and to further enhance constituency engagements.
“Distinguished Senators are kindly requested to take note of this postponement, while regretting any inconvenience, the change might have caused.”
Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Friday, spoke candidly about the deepening crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party, warning that the party may be headed for total collapse if urgent reconciliation measures are not implemented.
Speaking during a live interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Fayose lamented the PDP’s internal disarray, blaming long-standing unresolved issues and a lack of leadership direction for its current state.
“The situation in the party is unfortunate and regrettable. This problem did not start today. The party has failed to initiate any meaningful reconciliation or fence-mending. Everyone is fighting for their own interest—power for power, strength for strength,” he said.
Using metaphors and proverbs, Fayose described the PDP as a fractured entity lacking unity and purpose.
“When you fall on metal, may God save your life. Everybody’s defending their tea, their cup, and their position. And when you use one broom to sweep, you make no impact,” he said, emphasising the need for collective effort to rebuild the party.
“It is not a denying fact that all is not well with the PDP. All is not well, and it will take only a miracle to bring this party to the dreamed destination,” he lamented.
He also addressed the leadership vacuum within the party’s National Working Committee, stating, “Show me the peace. Please show me the command. Show me where directives are coming from.
“This has never happened before. But I am not here to apportion blame. The buck stops at the desk of the Working Committee.”
On the issue of party supremacy and the ongoing legal wrangles, Fayose warned of the dangers of disregarding judicial rulings.
“The pronouncement of the court is binding on all parties. The Supreme Court’s ruling on the party’s structure must be respected. You cannot build something on nothing,” he said.
Fayose also responded to recent comments made by former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, whom he described as “a bulldozer” who must be approached with caution.
“If someone says he will come to your house at a particular time and he arrives, you must know there is a problem. Wike must be engaged constructively,” he advised.
Reflecting on political power dynamics, Fayose suggested that the South should retain the presidency after President Bola Tinubu’s first term, cautioning against a return of power to the North.
Despite being a member of the PDP, Fayose acknowledged supporting Tinubu in the last election and indicated that his support remains firm, citing comparative governance performance.
“If you compare today and the past, you will still give it to Tinubu. The system is rotten, but he is managing a terrible situation,” he said.
Fayose was also asked about potential 2027 presidential candidates, including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and
Tinubu.
He revealed that Governor Makinde had personally denied any presidential ambition, stating he would not be used against a fellow Yoruba man.
He concluded by urging Nigerians to manage their expectations, asserting that no leader can fully satisfy the public. “There is no day you will satisfy people in this country. Today, they want Jonathan back — the same Jonathan they once rejected,” he said.
One of the aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in the Anambra governorship election, Valentine Ozigbo, has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Awka, challenging the legitimacy of the APC governorship primary conducted on April 5, 2025, in Anambra State.
The suit, which names the APC, Nicholas Ukachukwu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission as defendants, seeks to nullify Ukachukwu’s nomination and compel the party to recognise Ozigbo as the rightful candidate.
According to the court document made available to journalists on Friday, the suit was filed on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Recall that in the primary conducted at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka, on April 5, Ukachukwu emerged as the candidate of the APC, scoring 1,455 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ozigbo, who scored 67 votes, Johnbosco Onunkwo scored 26 votes, and Edozie Madu scored eight votes, while invalid votes were 26.
Filed through his legal team led by Umeh Kalu, SAN, and B.C. Igwilo, SAN, the suit includes supporting documentation from the party’s constitution, internal communications, and delegate registers.
Ozigbo’s legal action comes amid turmoil within the Anambra APC, which has seen a wave of resignations of members from LGAs and ward chairmen, ward executives, and several defections in the aftermath of the disputed primary.
The originating summons asked the court to determine whether the APC violated its rules by allowing Ukachukwu’s candidacy.
In an accompanying personal statement titled “For a future worth fighting for”, Ozigbo criticised the April 5 primary, describing it as a “well-scripted illusion.”
He said, “When institutions falter, it is the duty of conscience to rise. I have taken that stand—not for self, but for truth, for justice, and for Ndi Anambra.
“On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, I took a consequential step in fighting for truth and justice. I filed a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the deeply flawed process that purportedly produced Mr Nicholas Ukachukwu as the flagbearer of our great party, the APC, for the November 2025 Anambra governorship election.
“Let us be clear: the April 5, 2025 exercise was not a primary election—it was a well-scripted illusion.
“A contrived delegate list filled with names unfamiliar to even the most seasoned party leaders was used for the guber primary. Real APC members were locked out while chaos reigned.
“No accreditation, no order; just thugs, violence, and a herd of hired hands masquerading as delegates.”
He further alleged that Ukachukwu failed to meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the APC constitution.
He also slammed Ukachukwu for his nonchalance over the crisis that has engulfed the party’s state chapter following the primary.
“The crux of the matter is that Mr Ukachukwu did not qualify to run under the APC in the first place. He failed to meet the minimum threshold for eligibility. And yet, the party machinery was twisted to serve his ambition.
“Now, Ukachukwu parades himself, declaring the theatre of deceit that April 5 represents as ‘free and fair.’ It is an insult to the intelligence of our people and a stain on the integrity of our party.
“While he fiddles like Emperor Nero, APC in Anambra is burning. The house is on fire; mass resignations, lawsuits, broken trust, and the so-called candidate dances, oblivious to the smoke and embers.
“To be clear, I am not desperate for power. I am not asking for favours. I seek only what is just, and what is right,” he added.
Ozigbo concluded his statement with a broader reflection on the need for democratic accountability and integrity in party processes, adding, “Our aim is not to fracture the party but to fortify it; to restore its integrity, renew its credibility, and secure its future as a vehicle for true democratic leadership.
“Let history record that when a corrupt process attempted to masquerade as legitimacy, we did not stay silent. We stood up. We spoke out. We acted for justice, for our children, and for the future we all deserve.”
The Federal High Court in Awka has yet to assign a date for hearing.
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