A group known as Northern Obidients Youth Assembly (NOYA) yesterday claimed it has uncovered a plot by individuals within the Labour Party (LP) to destabilise the party, thereby weakening its structure and rendering it powerless ahead of the 2027 general election.
Coordinator of NOYA, Hussaini Mukhtar, in a statement, alleged the Nigeria Labour Congress National Transition Committee (NLC-NTC) reportedly met the Governor of Abia State Alex Otti, in a fresh move to destabilise the structure of the Labour Party.
He said the NLC-NTC agenda was to destroy LP from within and pave the way for the only governor on its platform to join another party (All Progressive Congress, APC).
According to Mukhtar, the plot was hatched to lead to a protracted legal battle, resulting in collateral damage in LP and giving the APC easy win in 2027.
The group’s leader alleged that there were also plans to form an illegal parallel National Working Committee (NWC) for LP in an attempt to destabilise the party, create crisis and use the situation to join another party.
“We were reliably informed about the decision to form an illegal parallel NWC for the party in coming days. This will be counter productive and will deepen the crisis in the party.
“We will advise the Executive Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti to think about the sacrifices of Obidients and His Excellency Peter Obi in giving him the platform that brought him to power and be weary of the NTC as they do not mean well for our party.
“The Governor should be aware that this period is crucial and there is the need to desist from actions that will destabilise the party or deepen the crisis the party is facing already, it is possible for him to quietly join the APC if he so wishes, without destroying Peter Obi’s chances,” he said.
Mukhtar further said the move by the NTC was orchestrated to weaken the opposition parties and pave the way for a consensus candidate to win seamlessly in the 2027 presidential election.
He claimed that the governor was being tempted to accede to the deal so that he can negotiate a second term backed by federal government.
“They know that the Labour Party is a strong force that will dislodge the APC in 2027, so, they are now using the NTC as a tool to destabilise the party as they have already destabilised the PDP.
“It will be very unfortunate if Governor Otti will allow himself to be used by the other party and the NTC to destroy the labour party and the Obidient Movement that gave him the platform to win election in 2023.
“This is the time to come together and work together in order to strengthen our structures across the country. The other parties are busy buying up opposition political parties and its members, let us put heads together to form a formidable force to take over power in 2027”, the statement added.
The NOYA coordinator however, warned those involved in this hatchet job to desist from being a willing tool for fractionalisation of the Obidient Movement and LP but they should focus on supporting Obi agenda to create a new Nigeria that works for all.
He insisted that this was the time for the Julius Abure-led NWC to show strength and take decisive actions to “ensure the preservation of our collective heritage and stop all these unnecessary distractions.
“The Labour Party leadership should now wield its big stick and ensure discipline within its ranks.”
