Politician Kenneth Okonkwo has leveled serious allegations against Labour Party (LP) National Chairman Julius Abure, claiming he is working as an agent of President Bola Tinubu's administration to destabilize the party's former presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Okonkwo made these accusations during an interview with Symfoni TV released on Saturday, where he expressed concerns about the ongoing crisis within the Labour Party leadership.
Accusations of Government Infiltration
"I told Obi that these people had become agents in the hands of the government to destabilise him," Okonkwo stated during the interview. He further revealed his disappointment that despite his warnings, "within like 72 hours, Obi went back to Abure's office to publicly endorse them."
Okonkwo also accused the Abure-led executive of lying to and misleading Obi, despite which the former presidential candidate still chose to recognize them publicly.
Deepening Party Crisis
The allegations come amid an escalating leadership crisis within the Labour Party. Recently, Peter Obi himself suggested that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had infiltrated the LP, contributing to the party's internal conflicts.
However, LP National Secretary Umar Ibrahim has rejected Obi's claims, accusing the former presidential candidate of misleading Nigerians about the true causes of the party's problems. Ibrahim maintained that internal conflicts are common across all Nigerian political parties.
Despite the ongoing factional disputes, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially recognized Julius Abure as the legitimate National Chairman of the Labour Party. Currently, the party faces a three-way leadership contest with Abure, Arabambi, and Nenadi Usman all claiming the position of National Chairman.
These developments highlight the deepening divisions within what had emerged as Nigeria's third major political force following the 2023 general elections.
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