The Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) has launched a scathing attack on its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, accusing him of being responsible for the ongoing crisis in the party and describing him as an “Uber politician” with no firm political stance. In a statement issued on Friday, Abure criticised Obi for urging his supporters to vote for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the August 16, 2025, bye-election, despite the LP having candidates on the ballot.
Obi, who has been involved in coalition activities with the ADC but is not officially a member, had on Thursday directed members of the “Obidient” and “COPDEM” movements to support ADC candidates, citing the absence of recognised LP candidates by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) due to the party’s internal disputes. “Kindly note that because the Labour Party has no recognised candidates by INEC due to the internal crisis, I humbly urge every member… to go out and vote for the coalition political party, African Democratic Congress,” Obi said in his statement.
Abure dismissed Obi’s directive as “misleading, mischievous, and delusional,” urging party members to ignore it and vote for LP candidates. He accused Obi of hypocrisy, alleging that his political “itinerancy” contradicts the values he claims to represent. “It is unfortunate that Obi has turned himself into an irony and a paradox in the Nigerian political space… not willing to take a position and stand by his decision,” Abure said, adding that Obi is now “affiliated to many political parties pari pasu” in a bid to become Nigeria’s president.
The LP chairman further alleged that Obi instigated the party’s internal strife, pointing to a September 4, 2024, expanded stakeholders meeting in Umuahia, co-hosted with Abia State Governor Alex Otti, which he described as “illegal and ill-fated.” He claimed Obi has since funded the crisis and even led protests against the LP at the INEC headquarters. “His desperation to control the soul of the party has made him go haywire,” Abure said, insisting that Obi lacks “the competence, character, and capacity” to realise the vision of a new Nigeria.
Abure maintained that the LP has fulfilled all legal requirements to field candidates in the bye-election and urged members to remain focused. “We are therefore encouraging our candidates, members, and supporters across all the states where bye-elections are being held to… return the Labour Party and the candidates elected,” he said, concluding that Nigerians have now seen “who Peter Obi really is.”
