The Labour Party, led by Julius Abure, has revoked the automatic ticket previously reserved for its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the current governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, for the 2027 elections. This decision was made during the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Monday in Abuja.
The party announced that all positions, from the presidency to state assemblies, are now open to all qualified Nigerians, signaling a shift in its candidate selection process.
This development comes after a separate meeting convened last week by Obi, Otti, and other Labour Party leaders in Umuahia, where they appointed a 29-member caretaker committee led by former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman, to oversee the party’s leadership for the next 90 days.
However, the Abure-led NEC nullified the decisions made at the Umuahia meeting. In a communiqué signed by Julius Abure and the National Secretary, Umar Ibrahim, the party affirmed that its leadership remains intact following a National Convention held in March 2024 in Nnewi, Anambra State. The NEC urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to distance himself from actions that could harm the party, accusing Alex Otti of citing the INEC Chairman as justification for his faction’s caretaker committee.
The Abure-led NEC reaffirmed its confidence in its current leadership and urged members to respect party directives. It also approved the composition of a disciplinary committee and the review of certain disciplinary actions in the spirit of reconciliation.
