Crisis Hits Obi-Aligned Labour Party Faction as BoT Sacks Interim Leadership

A fresh leadership crisis has erupted within the Labour Party (LP), deepening internal divisions in the camp associated with former presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti. The party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), backed by a quorum of the statutory National Executive Council (NEC), has announced the dissolution of the Senator Nenadi Usman–led interim National Working Committee (iNWC), a move that has triggered sharp rebuttals and renewed legal and political tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The decision, disclosed through a leaked statement dated December 2, 2025, and jointly signed by BoT Chairman S.O. Ejiofor and Secretary Salisu Mohammed, has intensified an already protracted struggle for control of the Labour party. While the BoT cites prolonged administrative failures and electoral setbacks, the affected faction has rejected the action as unconstitutional, setting the stage for another round of intra-party confrontation.

BoT Cites Administrative Failure, Reinstates Acting Officers

According to the statement, the BoT and a quorum of the statutory NEC resolved to dissolve the interim committee after months of what it described as “gross incompetence” and an inability to organise mandatory party congresses. Ejiofor said the leadership vacuum threatened to plunge the party into “irreparable oblivion” if not urgently addressed.

The statement traced the origins of the crisis to the September 4, 2024 appointment of the Nenadi Usman-led committee in Umuahia, Abia State. The committee was mandated to conduct nationwide state congresses and a national convention within 90 days, in line with a 2018 consent judgment and an INEC-brokered settlement. However, Labour party leaders said the committee failed to meet the deadline and also fell short after an additional 90-day extension granted on July 18, 2025, which expired on October 17, 2025.

As part of the restructuring, the Labour party announced the reappointment of Prince Tony Akeni as acting National Publicity Secretary and Nwauwa Nnawuihie as acting National Secretary, pending the constitution of a fresh interim National Working Committee in accordance with the party’s constitution.

Electoral Exclusion and Labour Party Organisational Paralysis

Beyond administrative lapses, the BoT accused the dissolved committee of presiding over a period of political decline marked by the party’s exclusion from several elections. The statement alleged that during 2025, the Labour Party was unable to participate in local government elections, state and National Assembly by-elections, and some upcoming polls, largely due to unresolved leadership disputes.

Labour Party leaders said the situation led to mass defections, weakened grassroots structures, and organisational paralysis across several states. They argued that the failure to meet INEC requirements during this period significantly eroded the Labour party’s visibility and competitiveness, undermining its prospects ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ejiofor maintained that the dissolution was formally communicated to the affected committee in a letter dated December 3, 2025, insisting that the BoT and statutory NEC stood firmly by the decision as a necessary corrective measure.

Rejection, Legal Questions, and Deepening Divisions

The Nenadi Usman faction swiftly rejected the dissolution, dismissing it as unconstitutional and legally untenable. Reacting on behalf of the interim leadership, Usman’s media aide, Ken Asogwa, questioned the authority of the BoT to dissolve a constituted National Working Committee, arguing that such powers reside solely with the NEC and a National Convention.

Asogwa also raised concerns over what he described as contradictory letters announcing and retracting the dissolution, insisting that Nenadi Usman remains the authentic national chairman by virtue of an NEC appointment and a Supreme Court judgment. He maintained that there was “nothing to resolve,” asserting that previous disputes with the Julius Abure camp had already been settled by the apex court.

Similarly, the Labour party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, dismissed claims of factionalism and challenged the legitimacy of the BoT behind the action. He argued that the purported BoT was linked to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) rather than the Labour Party, describing the unfolding events as distractions that did not reflect the party’s official position. The latest developments have reinforced the depth of internal discord, suggesting that the Labour Party’s leadership crisis remains far from resolution.