Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and the Labour Party’s national leadership clash with embattled former National Chairman, Julius Abure, over sales of nomination forms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Abure was accused of defying court orders and the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The scandal erupted after images circulated on social media showed Abure handing what he characterized as Labour Party nomination paperwork to a former National Vice Chairman of the party, Ceekay Igara, and other party members in Abia State.
On Sunday, Otti and the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, advised aspirants and supporters against getting nomination papers from Abure, calling the documents “worthless paper.”
He said, “Let it be stated clearly and unequivocally that Nenadi Usman is the National Chairman of the Labour Party, and all legitimate nomination forms for every elective position ahead of the 2027 general elections can only be obtained through the official national secretariat of the party located in Utako, Abuja.
“Consequently, any so-called Labour Party nomination form obtained from Julius Abure or any other unauthorized source is nothing but worthless paper being peddled by political fraudsters seeking to deceive unsuspecting persons.”
The Labour Party further questioned why Abure’s alleged sales activities were concentrated in Abia State, warning that Otti would not succumb to “blackmail, intimidation, or street-corner political theatrics.”
It also charged Abure with criminal impersonation for continuing to represent himself as the party’s national chairman.
The threat came hours after Otti, via his chief press secretary, Ukoha Ukoha, chastised Abure for continuing to release nomination forms despite what he described as previous court orders that recognized Usman as the party’s temporary head.
Ukoha told our correspondent that both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had decided in favor of the Usman-led leadership structure and that INEC had already followed the court order.
He said, “I think Abure is in a better position to explain the grounds on which he is still parading himself after a Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal ruled that Senator Nenadi Usman was the interim leader of the Labour Party before the convention.
“So, the party has moved on. INEC has also complied with the directive of a competent court of jurisdiction. That is contempt of court on the part of Julius Abure.”
Ukoha further claimed that INEC could not properly monitor any electoral procedure carried out under Abure’s authority.
However, Igara justified the issuance of the documents, claiming they were a preventive measure until the result of court cases.
According to him, stakeholders were attempting to avoid a vacuum if the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of Abure.
He said, “We have two matters, one at the Supreme Court and the other at the Federal High Court.
“If we say Abure should be docile, all the 33 states that conducted congresses will just go into extinction. If the Supreme Court later gives him the structure and primaries have closed, what happens?”
Igara also stated that talks were ongoing and that the forms were only being given ahead of future primaries.
Attempts to contact Abure for comment were fruitless, since calls and texts to his phone were not responded to at the time of reporting this story.
The Abure group’s spokesperson, Obiora, defended their viewpoint. Ifoh argued that they remained the party’s rightful leadership until the Supreme Court resolved the question.
He said, “Our matter is in court. Until the Supreme Court decides the actual leadership, we believe that the Nnewi Convention that elected Abure and the NWC, which has not been discharged, is still running.
“So, we believe that our leadership, which has four years of tenure, has not expired. Therefore, we will continue to function as a political party until the matter is resolved conclusively in the apex court.”
Speaking on allegations that Abure’s actions amounted to contempt of court, Ifoh dismissed the claim, saying, “No, we are in order. Just like what is happening in some other political parties where factions are selling nomination forms, we are not left out.”
Ifoh also confirmed that he would run for the House of Representatives seat for Abia State’s Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency in the 2027 elections.
He also rejected accusations that nomination forms were exclusively sold in Abia State.
“It is not true that Abure is selling expression of interest and nomination forms only in Abia. We are selling in all 36 states of the federation,” he added.
