Former Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure has ruled out supporting Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election, while leaving open the possibility of backing President Bola Tinubu or former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
Abure said any political alignment would depend on a pending Supreme Court case over the Labour Party’s leadership, as well as the interests of his supporters, ideological compatibility and the candidate’s electoral appeal.
He told The PUNCH that if the court failed to deliver its judgment before the end of November, he would consult his supporters before deciding which candidate to back. He said he was not currently negotiating with any of the contenders.
“We are open to working with any of the major candidates,” Abure said, adding that the Nigeria Democratic Congress was excluded from his options because Obi had joined the party.
Abure also threatened to mobilise his supporters against Obi, accusing the former Anambra State governor of wasting the political goodwill and organisational support that helped him secure more than six million votes in the 2023 presidential election.
The former LP chairman blamed Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti for the party’s leadership crisis, alleging that they dismantled the structure of the faction he led, from ward and state levels to the national leadership.
The dispute involved disagreements over the party’s national convention and control of its organisational structure. Abure accused Obi and Otti of imposing a rival National Working Committee in Owerri, while Obi’s allies maintained that Abure had violated an agreement for an inclusive convention process.
Abure questioned Obi’s ability to lead Nigeria, arguing that the crisis within the Labour Party raised concerns about his capacity to manage a larger political organisation. He also predicted that Obi would perform worse in 2027 than he did in the previous election.
He further argued that Obi’s move from the Labour Party through the African Democratic Congress before joining the NDC had cost him the political machinery that supported his 2023 campaign.
Abure said the NDC’s leadership structure differed from the arrangement Obi had experienced under the Labour Party, describing the party’s national leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, as firmly in control.
The NDC dismissed Abure’s comments, saying Obi was focused on the campaign and the forthcoming election.
The party’s Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, Constance Ikokwu, said Obi was concentrating on national issues and efforts to secure victory in 2027.
“Good luck to Mr Julius Abure in his new ventures,” Ikokwu told The PUNCH.
Obi’s media aide, Idris Zekeri, also said the campaign had moved on from the former LP chairman, describing Abure as irrelevant to its immediate priorities.
Zekeri accused Abure of allowing personal grievances to influence his position, while maintaining that the campaign remained focused on reaching voters ahead of the election.
