Learn From LP Crisis, Be Wary Of Obi And His Allies, Abure Tells Dickson

 

 

By Akanni Toba

 

Julius Abure, factional national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has advised Seriake Dickson, national leader of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, (NDC), to be wary of former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, and his legions of loyalists who recently defected to his party.

 

Abure described as ‘commendable’, the  refusal by Dickson not to unwittingly hand over NDC’s structure to Obi and his supporters by not conceding all the elective positions to them.

 

He added that the move shows that Dickson learnt a lesson from the crisis the LP is enmeshed in which was triggered by Obi and his allies.

 

According to Abure, the LP made the mistake in 2022/2023 election season by offering its platform on a silver platter to Obi and loyalists only for them to turn against the leadership of the party after taking over strategic positions in the LP.

 

He particularly alleged that Obi and Alex Otti, the governor of Abia championed the supposed rebellion against the party leadership.

 

Abure made the allegations in a statement he issued and personally signed on Monday.

 

 

“They say, history usually repeats itself. Senator Dickson and Co have seen their trajectory and learnt from what happened to us, that a lot of them after they have won and now in government turned round and were struggling with the leadership of the party,” the statement reads.

 

It added, “I want to say that Obi and his followers are ingrates who will never remember the sacrifices you made for them. It is even dangerous for the leadership of the NDC to wholly hand over the elective positions to Obi and his followers.

 

 

“We did it in 2022/23, immediately they saw that Obi was interested in the leadership of the party, all those elected under the platform of the party simply followed Obi, forgetting all the sacrifices and suffering we made for them.”

 

While tracing the trajectory of the crisis bedeviling the LP, Abure claimed that the divisiveness in the party party worsened when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) obeyed a court ruling which said the tenure of the party’s leadership had lapsed, giving rise to the Nenadi Usman-led interim national committee.

 

 

 

“They fell into the trap of INEC, when the commission deceived them to say that the tenure of the executive has expired. We had expected them to reject that position,” Abure said.

 

 

He noted in the light of what transpired in the LP, “it is strategically” important for Dickson to retain some control within the NDC by ensuring that his own supporters occupied positions in the party.

 

“He needed to bring his own people so that when the chips are down, he will also have people that will speak and defend him,” Abure said.

 

 

“They trooped into NDC with Obi hoping to occupy every space like they did in the Labour Party. No leader of any political party seeing what Obi did to the Labour Party, along with his followers will make that mistake again,”  the LP factional chairman said.

 

Abure explained that the leaders of the LP accommodated the interests of Obi and his supporters by sacrificing for them.

“We ensured that Obi’s interests were adequately taken care of. We only looked at his body language, and we obliged most of his supporters’ tickets,” he said.

 

“Most of the tickets were for free believing that we were investing in those persons in line with the philosophy of the party, expecting that when they win, they will bring along necessary support that will help in the growth of the party.

 

 

“But ironically, when they came into power, they went after the leadership of the party.”

 

 

 

Abure also accused Obi and Otti of attempting to take over the party’s leadership following disputes over the tenure of its executives.

 

 

 

“The leaders, particularly, Peter Obi and Alex Otti decided to take over the leadership of the party,” he said.

 

He added that elected officials who emerged on the party’s platform failed to support it financially, urging the NDC to learn from the LP’s experience.

 

 

 

Recall that Obi emerged as the presidential candidate of the NDC on May 30. Prior to the primary election, the party had zone its presidential ticket to the South giving the ex-Anambra governor a headstart to emerge as its standard bearer for the 2027 election.