Abure LP Faction Moves Ahead with Ward Congresses, Abia Held Back by Court

A section of the Labour Party National Working Committee loyal to Julius Abure went ahead with ward congresses across the country, with the exception of Abia State where a court order paused the process.

National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh said in Abuja that teams sent to supervise the exercises returned “positive reports” and that turnout and conduct were “impressive turnout and smooth conduct” in most places. He said the party is focused on rebuilding ahead of the 2027 polls.

Ifoh set out the timetable for the rest of the exercise. He said the ward congress took place on Tuesday, the Local Government Congress will take place on Thursday, and the State Congresses are due on Saturday December 6 at party offices in each state.

Abia State did not hold its congress after an Abia State High Court placed an order stopping the exercise while it considers a case against the state leadership. Ifoh said the party will comply “even though the court lacks the jurisdiction,” and that its legal team “has already taken steps to vacate the order,” after which Abia will run its own congress.

He noted that the NEC meeting on November 28, which included officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission, agreed to expand internal democracy and align party structures with electoral rules and the constitution. He added that the Abure-led leadership “is calling on Nigerians to embrace the party ahead of the 2027 general election. We are repositioning to improve on our capacity to drive the leadership of this great nation soonest.”

Ifoh also accused unnamed opponents of trying to disrupt the process. He warned against false claims that the congresses had been stopped and cited Section 59 of the Criminal Code Act in making the point. He said “Publishing a fake news that a court has cancelled the Labour Party Congresses nationwide is a crime and can attract dire consequences.”

He continued with a direct warning: “We therefore warn these merchants of falsehood to desist from such shenanigans or we will have no option but to commit them to prison.”

On party unity and future direction he said the Abure leadership “is determined to move the party forward” and has made what he called “the painful decision to move on, leaving behind anyone not willing to meet up with the pace.” The spokesman said the new committees will work to correct past errors and position the party for the coming elections.