Abia State Governor Alex Otti has vehemently rejected his purported suspension by the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party (LP), labeling it “a joke taken too far and an affront to democracy.” In a statement issued on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Otti called for the immediate arrest of Abure for alleged impersonation, citing a Supreme Court ruling that stripped Abure of his position as LP National Chairman. The statement, reported by The Whistler and Naija News, underscores the ongoing leadership crisis within the LP, intensified by the court’s April 4, 2025, decision to nullify Abure’s chairmanship, paving the way for the Senator Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee.
Otti’s response followed Abure’s announcement of the indefinite suspension of Otti, Senator Ireti Kingibe, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, and three others, hours after Abure was summoned by the Usman-led committee to answer allegations of financial misappropriation, impersonation, and anti-party activities. Ekeoma declared, “The highest court in the land, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, has rightly and unambiguously stated that Julius Abure is no longer the National Chairman of Labour Party,” urging Nigerians to disregard Abure’s “laughable statement” and view him as a “clown in desperate search of a crown.” Otti further pressed the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest Abure and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce the Supreme Court’s judgment to protect democratic integrity.
The feud traces back to August 2024, when Otti and LP presidential candidate Peter Obi pushed for new leadership, leading to the Usman committee’s formation after a September 4 stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia, which Abure’s faction deemed illegal. Abure, whose 2024 Nnewi convention re-elected him, insists the Supreme Court’s ruling on internal party matters supports his position, a claim Otti dismissed as delusional, previously stating on Arise TV that Abure was “masturbating” over false claims of leadership. The Usman committee, backed by Otti, has accused Abure of running the LP as a “personal enterprise,” with plans for new congresses to restore democracy, per Channels Television. Abure’s faction, in turn, set up a disciplinary committee on May 2 to probe Otti for anti-party activities, escalating tensions.
Sentiment on X, reflected in posts like @thecableindex’s report of the suspensions and @Eaglepostng’s echo of Otti’s “clown” jab, shows polarized views, with Otti’s supporters, like @NigeriaStories, praising his leadership, while Abure’s camp, per Sahara Reporters, accuses Otti and Obi of hijacking the party. The Supreme Court’s ruling, clarified by Otti’s April 1 INEC visit to submit the judgment, has not quelled the dispute, with Abure’s defiance risking legal repercussions. As Nigeria’s political landscape heats up for 2027, the LP’s internal strife, fueled by allegations of corruption and power grabs, threatens its unity, with Otti’s call for Abure’s arrest signaling a critical juncture for the party’s future.
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