There are strong indications that some leaders and members of the Labour Party (LP) outside of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Julius Abure, a lawyer, are currently seeking alternative platforms for the general elections holding in 2027.

The development, Sunday Telegraph gathered, is not unconnected with the recent recognition of Abure by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the authentic National Chairman, following a court victory in Abuja.

Prior to the recognition, Abure had been at war with the Leader of the party and its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi; the Governor of Abia State and only governor of the party, Dr. Alex Otti; the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and its Political Commission led by a former President of the NLC Abulwahab Omar.

It was in a bid to resolve the crisis that Obi, Otti, the NLC and leaders of the party converged on Umuahia and set up a Caretaker Committee headed by a former Finance Minister, Ms. Nnenadi Usman, to pilot the affairs of the party and elect a new executive.

Few weeks after that, Abure obtained the court order which unsettled the whole party.

It was gathered that following the differences between Abure and the leaders, many of them are now seeking alternative platforms to prepare for 2027, even as the Abure-led NWC continues to threaten to sue those who were leaving the party. But the defectors cited the division in the party as their reasons for their action.

Only last week, five members of the House of Representatives, namely, Tochukwu Okere, Imo State; Donatus Mathew, Kaduna State; Bassey Akiba, Cross River State and Iyawu Esosa, Edo State, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the LP.

A day after, Dalyop Chollom, from Plateau State, also defected to the APC, causing an uproar in the House. This came weeks after a senator from Imo State, Emma Ibezim, had defected to the APC. It is a situation both the minority caucus in the National Assembly and the LP itself has not taken lightly.

Responding to the defections, the Minority Whip, Ali Isah JC (PDP-Gombe), asked the Speaker to declare the seats of the defected opposition lawmakers vacant in line with Section 68(1) of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended).

Similarly, the Minority Leader of the House, Kingsley Chinda and the leader of the LP caucus in the Green Chamber, George Ozodinobi, both toed the same line, a position that was overruled by the Speaker of the House, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.

Reacting to the gale of losses, the Labour Party said it had opened a hall of shame for the members, who defected, adding that it would retrieve their mandates through the courts. According to Obiorah Ifoh, the party’s spokesman, “Though the Labour Party leadership is undaunted by the defection, it has however, elected not to allow it slide and has therefore instructed its legal team to commence the legal actions against the defectors and to also commence the process of regaining our mandates in line with the 1999 constitution and 2022 Electoral Act as amended,”

Even though the LP is sounding tough under Abure, Sunday Telegraph gathered that more LP members are gearing to defect from the party in the coming weeks. Sources within the party said that the discussions between Obi and other political parties on presenting a stronger platform for the 2027 election was an indication of a major serious shift in the party. Although Obi himself has not spoken of his direction, it was gathered that his men are in active discussion with the PDP, NNPP, ADC, SDP, among other parties to form a coalition against the APC in 2027.

Further, Otti of Abia State, at the last Local Government Election in the state, did not field candidates on the platform of the LP. Rather, he opted for the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), which won a major chunk of the seats in the 17 Local Councils in the state.

A source told Sunday Telegraph: “Since Abure insisted on staying there forever, it is obvious the confidence of many in the party is lost. Since he spurned the Caretaker Committee and believes the party belongs to him and his NWC, the consequences are clear enough for all to see. These defections are not mere occurrences. Many more will leave; others are waiting for the direction the coalition talks will go.