The leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party, LP, worsened, weekend, with the party failing to clinch at least one local government area in the recently conducted Abia State local government elections.
The outcome of the polls is seen as an indication that the leadership crisis plaguing the LP at the national level has taken a turn for the worse.
According to report the party has been embroiled in a leadership crisis, with notable figures such as its former presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti dumping Julius Abure’s leadership.
The crisis stemmed from allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds against the Abure-led leadership.
Otti and Obi had joined others to nominate ex-minister of finance, Mrs Nenadi Usman, as caretaker chairman of the party.
They convened a stakeholders’ meeting where the ex-minister was appointed head of a 29-member caretaker committee to preside over the affairs of the party.
However, Abure has held on tightly to the party, following a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja on Tuesday, October 7, 2024, which returned him as the national chairman.
Though DAILY POST learnt there are secret moves to resolve the crisis, a fresh twist was introduced to the intractable crisis following the outcome of the Local Governments election in Abia state – only state under the control of Labour Party.
The election was sequel to the July 11 landmark judgement by the Supreme Court which triggered a flurry of activities in the country’s third tier of government.
According to the results announced by the Chairman of the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, Prof. George Chima, and reported by DAILY POST, the Zenith Labour Party emerged victorious in 15 out of the 17 Local Government Areas in the State, while the Young Progressive Party claimed victory in the remaining two LGAs.
Findings by DAILY POST suggested that the crisis in the Labour Party made Otti to direct his supporters to contest the election on another platform.
Speaking to DAILY POST about the matter, Abia State Chairman of the Labour Party, loyal to Abure, Prince G.O. Ndubueze described the election as a sham.
Ndubueze claimed they were reliably informed that the election results were written in favour of Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, and Young Peoples Party, YPP.
He said: “The election was written on Wednesday. And we organized a world press conference, where we told the world that the election had been rigged.
“As we were told, that’s how it happened – 15 Local Government Areas were written for Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, and 2 Local Government Areas for YPP. Exactly as we were told, that is what we witnessed after the election.
“The local government election cannot determine the fate of the Labour Party because the election was falsified. It can’t state the true position of the people.
“You can’t use this scam to determine what will happen in future elections. We don’t have any issue, only that the Governor advised or directed members of the Labour Party to go to ZLP to contest the election.”
However, YPP State Chairman, Nelcin Uluocha disagreed with his counterpart in the Labour Party that the result was written in the party’s favour.
Uluocha insisted that his party winning two Local Government Areas was as a result of hard work, stressing that everyone goes in for election to win.
Uluocha’s words: “It’s as a result of hard work. After all, anybody that’s going in for election is prepared to win. The feeling is not different from the effort we put in.
“Those are speculations. You forgot that you went into the last general election, where the Governor himself was on the ballot, we won Osisioma Local Government by landslide and lost Ugwunagbo Local Government with only nine votes.
“So, we consolidated on what we had already built and came out victorious this time without excuses.
“And we are believing to take more local governments and win the State, come the 2027 general election.
“So there was nothing like the governor aiding us; his party, Labour Party, was on the ballot. How could he have left his own party and supported another party?”
On his part, Emmanuel Nwaeze Otti, LP factional Chairman, loyal to Governor Otti, maintained that the election was free and fair.
According to him, people from other political parties won the election.
Nwaeze said nobody should pick a quarrel about the election.
He said: “This is a contest. In a free election, whether in the community or in the household, everybody must not win at the same time.
“Yes, we contested the election and people from other political parties won the election.
“It is only people who play politics with bitterness that say it must be me, or nobody else.
“Here’s a free and fair election and somebody won. I wouldn’t pick a quarrel on that. I know tomorrow it might be my turn.”
Speaking on the crisis at the national level, he said: “I don’t think I feel bad. In a family, there must be misunderstanding or disagreement.
“When there’s disagreement, there’s a need to come together as one indivisible family. Sometimes husband and wife do disagree but at the end of the day they agree.”
Meanwhile, Ata-Awaji Anthony, a political communication expert, has lamented that what is playing out following the conduct of local government elections in some of the states doesn’t reflect good democratic principles.
Anthony, also a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Topfaith University, Mkpatak, Akwa Ibom State, argued that with recent happenings within the political landscape, democracy is in danger in the country.
“First, I must applaud the judiciary for strengthening local government administration in Nigeria following the ruling that local government areas should be governed by elected administrators, not people appointed by governors.
“However, the fact that those who contested the various positions under the parties in power in the various states of the federation, except Akwa Ibom State and Rivers State, all emerged winners of the polls, is something that should be questioned.
“Does it mean that candidates of the other parties in various states are not loved by their people?
“I don’t think that what is playing out in Nigeria following the conduct of local government elections in some of the states reflect good democratic principles.
“The beauty of democracy is divergent views, at least two party system representation at the legislative arm of government to ensure checks and balance, freedom of speech, among others.
“The recent happenings within the political landscape in Nigeria will not guarantee such democratic norm.
“More so, it shows that most of the state governors can best be described as dictators.
“Democracy is, therefore, in danger in Nigeria,” he said.
