Former Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure has accused the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, of causing the leadership crisis currently affecting the party.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Abure alleged that the Labour Party was stable until Obi and Otti supported the establishment of a caretaker committee in Umuahia, which he described as illegal.

According to him, the move disrupted the party’s internal harmony and remains the root cause of the prolonged leadership dispute.

Abure also dismissed claims that he is an outsider within the party, insisting that Senator Nenadi Usman, who leads a rival faction, is the “interloper.”

He maintained that the legal battle over the party’s leadership is still before the courts, noting that his faction has appealed recent judgments recognising Usman’s leadership and is awaiting a final determination by the Supreme Court.

The Labour Party has been embroiled in a leadership tussle since the 2023 general elections, with rival factions led by Abure and former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman, laying claim to the party’s national leadership.

Earlier this year, the Federal High Court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Usman as the party’s leader, a decision later upheld by the Court of Appeal. Abure has since challenged the ruling.