The immediate past National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has declared his willingness to align with President Bola Tinubu or former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election, while ruling out support for former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi.
Abure disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH, saying his decision on which presidential candidate to support would depend on the outcome of the pending Supreme Court case concerning the leadership crisis within the Labour Party.
He explained that his political interests, ideology and the acceptability of any candidate would also determine his eventual choice.
The former party chairman said if the Supreme Court failed to deliver its judgment before the end of November, he would consult his supporters and consider offers from interested presidential candidates.
According to him, any political alliance must reflect the interests of his supporters and align with the political principles of the group.
Abure said, “We are open to working with any of the major candidates, but as former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, said, I know whom I will not hand over to. But I don’t know who I will hand over to. So, similarly, I am very sure that I wouldn’t support Peter Obi for the 2027 general election. But I am open to an alignment with others.”
He, however, clarified that he was not currently negotiating with Tinubu, Atiku or any other presidential candidate.
Abure also ruled out supporting the Nigeria Democratic Congress because of Obi’s presence in the party, insisting that he had no reason to support the former Labour Party presidential candidate again.
He said his supporters would be consulted before any final decision was taken, stressing that the political future of the group was not determined by him alone.
The former chairman further accused Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti of undermining the Labour Party’s leadership structure, alleging that members loyal to his faction were removed from positions across the country.
He maintained that some of his supporters remained loyal to the structure he controlled despite the departure of several party members to other political platforms.
Abure also criticised Obi’s movement from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress and subsequently the Nigeria Democratic Congress, questioning his ability to manage a larger political organisation after the disagreements that rocked the Labour Party.
He argued that Obi had lost much of the goodwill and political support that contributed to his performance in the 2023 presidential election.
Abure said he did not expect Obi to repeat his previous electoral performance in 2027, claiming that the former governor had mismanaged the political capital he gained during the last election.
However, the spokesperson for the NDC Presidential Campaign Council, Constance Ikokwu, dismissed Abure’s comments, saying Obi was focused on his political campaign and preparations for the 2027 election.
Ikokwu said Obi was concentrating on issues of national importance and efforts to mobilise Nigerians ahead of the presidential contest.
She wished Abure well in his future political activities, indicating that the party was no longer concerned about the former Labour Party chairman’s position.
Similarly, Obi’s media aide, Idris Zekeri, said the former chairman was no longer relevant to the campaign’s immediate priorities.
Zekeri stated that Obi’s team had moved on from the disagreements surrounding the Labour Party leadership crisis.
He urged Nigerians who believed in equity, justice, fairness, capacity and compassion to support Obi.
He also described Abure’s decision as a personal position, arguing that political disagreements should not overshadow national interests.
The disagreement between Abure and Obi followed prolonged internal disputes over the leadership and organisational structure of the Labour Party, which contributed to the political separation between both figures ahead of the 2027 general election.
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