Less than 48 hours after the Julius Abure-led National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party (LP) threatened to sanction Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, over their planned meeting, both camps confirmed that the summit would proceed as scheduled.
The Acting Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, and Obi’s media aide, Umar Ibrahim, made the confirmation.
This clarification came after rumors suggested that Obi and Otti had backed out due to Abure’s threat of sanctions. Ndubuaku dismissed the speculation, calling it “nonsense” and a “theatre of the absurd.” He added, “If someone were acting this out as a Nollywood script, everyone would say this scriptwriter is foolish and demented. Nigerians can innovate the good, the bad, and the ugly.” He also confirmed his attendance at the event.
Ibrahim echoed this, stating, “It’s not true. There is nothing like that. If it had been postponed, I would have issued an official statement to you and other media outlets.” When asked about the threat of sanctions against Obi and Otti, Ibrahim declined to comment, saying they preferred not to engage in any drama with the Labour Party.
Earlier, PUNCH Online reported that the Abure-led NEC had dismissed LP Caucus Leader in the House of Representatives, Afam Ogene, over his alleged involvement in anti-party activities. The NEC also warned that disciplinary action would be taken against Obi and Otti if they proceeded with their planned meeting, which they claimed could undermine the party.
This situation arose after both Abure and Obi called for separate NEC meetings to discuss the party’s future following Friday’s Supreme Court ruling. While Abure held his NEC meeting at the national headquarters on Monday, Obi and Governor Otti moved their stakeholders’ summit to Wednesday at an undisclosed location.
When contacted for comment, LP National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh reiterated that the NEC, as the highest organ of the party, had made its position clear and added, “We are watching the development and will respond at the right time.”