Abure: Obi will not repeat 2023 feats — he squandered his goodwill
Julius Abure, immediate past national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), says he will not support the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2027 because its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has squandered the goodwill he enjoyed in the buildup to the 2023 general election.
Abure spoke during an interview with Punch on Sunday, noting that his camp is open to supporting any other presidential candidate and party whose interests and ideology align with theirs ahead of the 2027 election.
“Let me say clearly that Obi will not record the successes he recorded in the 2023 general election. That is because he has squandered his goodwill, human capital, resources, and mismanaged all the gains he had in 2023,” he said.
He added that the eventual party and candidate his camp will support would also depend on the outcome of a pending supreme court case involving his group and the current leadership of the LP.
He, however, said he would consult his supporters and decide on a preferred candidate if the supreme court fails to deliver its judgment before the end of November.
“As for me, we are waiting for the Supreme Court to decide our case, and if the judgment is not coming before the end of this November, we will rationalise the offer of whoever wants our support,” he said.
“However, it must tally with our interest and ideology, and he must be a sellable candidate. Once these are settled, our faces will be everywhere. I am talking about the same faces that took Peter Obi everywhere in 2023.”
The former LP chairman maintained that although he is yet to negotiate with any presidential candidate, the NDC is not among the parties he would consider supporting because of Obi’s presence.
“The NDC is not included. I don’t see any reason to support Peter Obi again. I will not. And I am saying this with conviction and without any fear of contradiction. However, as of now, I am not in talks with any candidate yet. This is because it’s not just about me. It’s also about my followers and their interests,” he said.
Abure said Obi’s conduct during his time in the LP has become the basis for questioning the presidential candidate’s leadership ability, claiming that the former Anambra governor is not enjoying the same freedom and leverage in the NDC.
“Obi’s behaviour in the Labour Party is now what people are using to assess if he can truly lead the country. This is because if you can’t lead a micro, there is no way you can lead a macro,” he said.
“No way! Let Obi compare the freedom and leverage he enjoyed under our leadership to what he is experiencing in the NDC; he already knows the difference. You can see that Senator Dickson is fully in charge and he’s not giving up the party’s leadership.”
Abure’s feud with Obi and Alex Otti, governor of Abia, dates back to September 2024, when the LP appointed Nenadi Usman as chairperson of a caretaker committee.
The committee was subsequently recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and backed by court rulings, including a court of appeal judgment that dismissed Abure’s bid to overturn his removal as national chairman.
In April 2026, the party formally elected Usman as its substantive national chairperson.
Credit- Cable
