Julius Abure, the factional chairman of the Labour Party (LP), says his meeting with Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has been wrongly interpreted.
Abure came under criticism last week after photos of his
meeting with Wike in Abuja surfaced, with some party members accusing him of
betraying the LP’s stance.
Speaking during the party’s national executive committee
(NEC) meeting held in Abuja on Monday, Abure said his visit was a private
affair.
“Last week, I met with the FCT minister, and it attracted a
lot of comments, a lot of misconceptions, and a lot of talk about the
photographic events,” he said.
“Now that we have the privilege of convening this meeting,
it’s an opportunity for me to make a few brief remarks.
“I want to say, firstly and very clearly, that I am in
Nigeria. I live in the FCT, and Nyesom Wike is the FCT minister.
“I have the right, as a Nigerian, to interface and interact
with anybody—with any public officer in the federal government of Nigeria.
“The meeting was privileged and, therefore, was purely a
private meeting.”
Abure also used the moment to reassert his influence in the
party, describing himself as a leader who has built the LP into a national
force.
“I also want to say clearly and quickly that we have paid
our dues in the Labour Party,” he said.
“We have controlled this party for many years, and by the
grace of God, today, the party has become one of the biggest political parties
in Nigeria, under my watch.”
Abure’s visit to Wike came amid a leadership crisis in the
LP, with two factions laying claim to the party’s national structure.
While Abure leads one group, former minister of finance
Usman Nenadi heads the rival faction as its interim national chairman.
The rift has created uncertainty within the LP as it
prepares for the 2027 elections, with both factions asserting legitimacy and
control over party activities.
The purpose or agenda of the meeting was not immediately
known, but it came days after the Abure-led faction asked Peter Obi, the LP
presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, to quit the party for joining the
African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition.
Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a
minister under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has been blamed by
his party members for being the ‘mastermind’ of the crisis rocking the
opposition party.h
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