Don’t make our mistake with Peter Obi – Abure warns NDC

Julius Abure, the factional National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has advised the leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to avoid what he described as the mistake his party made by giving excessive political leverage to former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and his allies.

Abure gave the warning in a statement released on June 8, 2026, while commenting on reports of internal disagreements within the NDC over the sharing of elective positions.

The LP chieftain said the decision by the NDC leadership, headed by Senator Seriake Dickson, not to hand over all requested positions to Obi’s loyalists was justified, citing the Labour Party’s experience before and after the 2023 general elections.

According to Abure, several politicians who secured elective offices on the Labour Party platform later turned against the party leadership instead of helping to strengthen the organisation.

“They say history usually repeats itself. Senator Dickson and Co have seen their trajectory and learnt from what happened to us,” Abure said.

He alleged that many beneficiaries of the Labour Party’s platform eventually sided with Obi and became involved in leadership disputes within the party.

Abure maintained that the party made considerable concessions ahead of the 2023 elections by accommodating Obi’s supporters, including offering many of them tickets without demanding payment.

“We only looked at his body language and obliged most of his supporters with tickets. Most of the tickets were given for free because we believed we were investing in those persons,” he stated.

He further accused some elected officials of supporting efforts to challenge the authority of the party leadership after securing victory under the Labour Party banner.

“All those elected under the party, Obi took them to fight the leadership of the party,” he said.

Abure stressed that political parties must strike a balance when allocating positions and influence among members to avoid future internal conflicts.

“It is very good for Seriake Dickson not to have given Obi supporters all they needed in the NDC. 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,” he added.

The Labour Party chairman also blamed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for contributing to the leadership dispute within the party, alleging that some members accepted claims that the tenure of the party’s executives had expired.

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

He said his remarks were prompted by questions from Nigerians seeking to understand how the Labour Party handled its relationship with Obi and his supporters during the 2022/2023 election cycle.