Months after Peter Obi’s spokesman, Andy Okonkwo dumped the Labour Party presidential candidate for the 2023 general election, the embattled national chairman of the party, Barrister Julius Abure, has described Obi and Governor Alex Otti of Abia State as betrayers who are deliberately creating divisions within the party.

He said this on Monday in Abuja at a national executive council (NEC) meeting held at the party’s headquarters, where he expressed belief that the crisis facing the party would soon be over.

It would be recalled that Obi, Otti and some party stalwarts convened a stakeholders meeting last Wednesday in Umuahia, Abia State, where they elected a former Minister of Finance, Mrs Esther Nenadi Usman, as the Chairman of a 29-man caretaker committee to resolve the crisis in the party and channel a way forward.

The Abure-led national working committee (NWC) however rejected such meeting, describing it as illegal and of no effects.

Speaking at the Monday meeting, Abure said, “We are at a critical juncture in the life of our party. Recent events have shown that those who should stand with us in the fight for a better, restructured, organised, and united Party have chosen a different path.

“A path not of unity, but of division. I speak, of course, of the illegal gathering that took place in Abia State, an attempt to create a rift within our party, led by none other than His Excellency Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti,” Abure said.

He said that the meeting, held without the authority or consent of the National Executive Council, sought to install a so-called ‘new leadership’.

He insisted that himself and his colleagues elected in the convention of the party held on the 27th March 2024 will defend the mandate given to them by members of the party and that no amount of intimidation or harassment would make them surrender the leadership of the party.

The convention, held in Anambra State, was marred by controversies.

Abure said, “Let me be clear: This action was not just illegal, it was a betrayal of everything the Labour Party stands for, a reward for loyalty with ingratitude, a reward for support with insubordination.

“Our mandate is to unite this country, not divide it. Yet, here we are, faced with a situation where individuals who have benefited from the trust and support of this great party now work to destabilize it from within.

“For those who have chosen to align themselves with this illegal action, I urge them to reconsider. The act of creating division is not just a political maneuver, it is a dangerous game. A game that, if allowed to continue, will dig a hole too deep for us to climb out of. Division within the Labour Party is division within Nigeria.

“And make no mistake, the consequences of such actions will not only affect the future of this party but the future of those who want to run elections under its platform.”

He said that those who seek to tear the party apart with backroom deals and illegal meetings must not be allowed to do so.

He said, “What message does it send to Nigerians when meetings meant to divide us are held in Abia State, a state that has become a symbol of resilience? At a time when this nation is struggling with ethnic divisions, such actions do not promote unity, they deepen the wounds of distrust.

“Nigerians are watching, and they will not be silent. We cannot afford to play politics with the future of our Party.

“I call on all true members of the Labour Party to stand firm. This is not the time for betrayal; it is the time for solidarity. We must reject the actions of those who, for their own interests, seek to weaken us.

“I remain committed to leading this party in the right direction, one that aligns with the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians.”