Nenadi Usman, Chairperson of the Labour Party (LP) caretaker committee, has publicly challenged Julius Abure to make good on his threat to expose Peter Obi, Alex Otti, and other prominent figures aligned with her faction.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily program on Friday, Usman responded directly to comments made earlier this week by Abure, the factional national chairman of the LP, who had threatened to reveal damaging information about Obi and Otti.

"I challenge him if you have something to expose, go ahead and do it. Don't talk, act," Usman stated firmly. "We also have records of Abure's conduct, and some of his actions are already under police investigation."

The exchange marks the latest development in the ongoing leadership crisis that has divided Nigeria's Labour Party into two factions – one led by Abure and the other by a caretaker committee headed by Usman, which enjoys the support of key party figures including presidential candidate Peter Obi, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, and Senator Ireti Kingibe.

Usman emphasized that the current dispute reflects broader challenges to internal democracy within the party. "In a healthy democracy, a strong opposition is necessary. When opposition figures try to align themselves with the ruling party, that's a problem," she said.

According to Usman, Abure's tenure as national chairman had expired, and the party had taken steps to fill the leadership vacuum in accordance with directives from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

"Abure and his National Working Committee's tenure had ended, and INEC made that clear. That's why, when he attended a meeting of political parties, he was asked to step out," she explained.

She further detailed the legal battles that followed, noting that while Abure initially secured a favorable ruling that compelled INEC to continue recognizing him, subsequent appeals led to a Supreme Court decision that the lower courts lacked jurisdiction in the matter.

"The Supreme Court was clear Abure's tenure was over. Justice Inyang Okoro even advised leaders to step down honorably once their tenure ends," Usman stated.

Following INEC's directive to conduct fresh congresses from ward level up to the national level, the party's National Executive Committee formed a caretaker committee to oversee this process, Usman explained.

"He can contest again if he wants, but he and his allies don't want elections—they just want to stay in power through court orders. That's not how democracy works," she added.

The crisis has intensified in recent weeks, with the Abure-led faction suspending Otti and Kingibe for alleged anti-party activities on May 7, while the Usman-led faction responded by suspending Abure two days later for allegedly continuing to present himself as chairman despite the court ruling.

This leadership tussle comes at a critical time for the Labour Party, which emerged as a significant political force during the 2023 general elections, with Peter Obi securing a substantial following as the party's presidential candidate.