Labour Party (LP) chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo has stated that while he remains a member of the party, he does not recognize Julius Abure’s leadership.
Okonkwo made this clarification on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he reiterated his stance on the ongoing leadership crisis within the party.
“As it is now, I have already left if Abure is the Chairman”, Okonkwo declared, distancing himself from Abure’s leadership.
In July 2024, the Nollywood actor-turned-politician announced his departure from the LP and also severed ties with the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
However, during the interview, Okonkwo clarified that he still considers himself a member of the LP but not under Abure’s leadership.
“I am a member of the Labour Party, but not under Julius Abure. If Abure manages to wangle himself in and becomes the National Chairman, it is automatic”, he added.
The Labour Party has been embroiled in internal conflicts, with two factions one led by Abure and another by Esther Nenadi Usmana, both claiming the party’s leadership.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) previously ruled that Abure’s national convention violated constitutional and electoral guidelines, prompting the appointment of Usman as the head of a 29-member caretaker committee on September 4, 2024.
The leadership crisis saw the involvement of top party members, including Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed, who attended a stakeholders’ meeting convened by Abia State Governor Alex Otti in Umuahia.
In January 2025, the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld Abure’s chairmanship, reaffirming its earlier November 2024 ruling that recognized him as the legitimate LP National Chairman. The ruling came in response to separate appeals filed by Usman’s faction and INEC.
