‘Our doors are open’ — Abure asks aggrieved LP defectors to return

Julius Abure, the factional chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has asked members fraternising with other political parties to return to the fold.

Speaking during the party’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja, on Monday, Abure said the party is open to reconciliation.

He said while the Nigerian constitution permits freedom of association, the LP’s rules prohibit dual membership.

The factional party chairman added that the party is monitoring the activities of members associating with rival political platforms.

“The constitution of the party is very clear and the constitution of Nigeria is equally clear, that you cannot belong to two political parties at the same time,” Abure said.

“We are watching members romancing other parties, and at the appropriate time, the party organs will decide what will happen.

“We are, therefore, using this opportunity to say that our doors are open. They should sheathe their swords and come back to the house.

“If they come back and apologise, we are ready to forgive them because we believe that there is no victor and there is no vanquished.”

Abure also described himself as a leader who has built the LP into a national force.

Since the 2023 general election, LP has lost several members — from house of representatives members and senators to party chieftains — to other parties for various reasons, some linked to the internal leadership crisis and unresolved disputes within the party.

The opposition party has fractured while battling a leadership crisis that has produced parallel factions. While Abure leads one group, Usman Nenadi, former minister of finance, heads the rival faction as its interim national chairman.

The rift has created uncertainty within the LP as it prepares for the 2027 elections, with both factions asserting legitimacy and control over party activities.

On July 3, the Abure-led faction asked Peter Obi, the LP presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, to quit the party for joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition.

On Monday, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), met with the Abure-led faction of the party.

Baba-Ahmed emphasised the importance of unity in rebuilding the party after the 2023 elections, adding that the LP is “not a party to walk away from”.

He described himself as a loyal party man, adding that his mission is to reconcile divergent opinions and resist hasty political coalitions.