The Chairman of Labour Party is Barrister Julius Abure — Peter Obi

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25 presidential election, has insisted that Barrister Julius Abure is the chairman of the Labour Party. His open acknowledgement of the embattled chairman comes as the party is engulfed in a leadership battle between Julius Abure and Lamidi Apapa.

Obi, who appeared on Arise Television News Night on Monday to celebrate Workers’ Day also used the opportunity to talk about issues concerning his party.

He insisted that there was actually nothing wrong with the party and that it was just a case of people being paid to carry out a nasty job of destabilising the party.

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“There is nothing wrong with the Labour Party. It is the same rascality that is going on all over the place; the chairman of the Labour Party is Barrister Julius Abure,” Obi said.

He explained that the leadership tussle is a case of hired individuals causing confusion in the party. He added that since Apapa, the factional chairman, came into the limelight, he has never had any kind of interaction with him.

“Yes, because people are paid; people are hirelings; they have been paid to distort things and everything. For example, I have never met Mr. Apapa, and supposedly you can say that I am a meaningful figure of Labour Party and the presidential candidate,” the 2023 election second runner-up said.

“So I have not met the other party chairman, and he is not looking for me. There was a purpose. It is because of the transactional politics we practise, where rather than spending our energy and time trying to do the right thing, we spend our energy and time trying to do the wrong thing. Paying people to do the wrong thing because we live off this confusion.”

However, the former Anambra State governor said that despite the infiltration of the party by these paid agents, the party is intact and has no issues.

“But that notwithstanding, we are even trying to bring everybody, even those who say they have paid you; maybe you have done the job they want you to do; come let all of us be a family,” he said.

“Yes, because those who live off the confusion who were already in the other party would not go away, trying to create confusion everywhere. They are not going to keep quiet.

“Don’t think these people are going to go away; no, they are not going to do that. But if we keep doing the right thing, eventually we are going to win.”