The factional Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in Edo State, Elizabeth Ativie, has accused the party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of being the root cause of the ongoing internal crisis rocking the party.
Ativie, a loyalist of the embattled LP National Chairman Julius Abure, made the claims while condemning recent verbal attacks on Abure by Obi’s known supporter, Precious Oruche, popularly known as Mama P.
Speaking to journalists in Benin City, Ativie alleged that Obi, in collaboration with Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti, instigated the current divisions within the party by convening what she described as an “illegal” stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia, Abia State, in September 2024.
“We want to state clearly that the problem in the Labour Party was created by Obi. It was him and Dr Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia State, that convened the ill-fated and illegally expanded stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia on September 4, 2024,” she said.
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Ativie claimed the meeting was a deliberate attempt to dislodge the legally recognised National Working Committee (NWC) led by Abure, using “underhand methods.”
She further criticised Obi’s leadership qualities, arguing that he lacks the necessary attributes to lead a national movement, let alone the country.
“A leader who cannot advise or guide his followers properly can hardly be a good leader,” she said. “It is even more dangerous to entrust the whole of Nigeria into such one’s care.”
Ativie insisted that Obi’s alleged interference has fractured party unity and destabilised its internal structures, calling on party members to remain loyal to the Abure-led national executive.
Her comments come amid persistent wrangling within the Labour Party over leadership legitimacy, particularly between factions loyal to Julius Abure and those aligned with Peter Obi, who has maintained political relevance since his 2023 presidential run.
While Obi himself has largely refrained from directly engaging in the leadership tussle, his perceived alliances and silence on the matter have drawn criticism from several quarters within the party.
As the 2027 general elections approach, the Labour Party continues to battle internal divisions that threaten its cohesion and political future.
