Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Abia State Governor Alex Otti, has criticised the suspended National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Barrister Julius Abure, accusing him of being the root cause of the party’s internal turmoil.
Speaking during an interview on Wednesday on Nigeria Info FM, Ekeoma stated, “Mr. Abure is the one destroying the Labour Party. He’s betraying the progressive ideals of the party and, by extension, betraying Nigerians.”
He alleged that Abure compromised the integrity of the party for personal interests and promised that concrete evidence would be presented at the appropriate time.
“At the right time, we will prove that this man sacrificed the party’s integrity for selfish reasons,” he said.
Ekeoma also criticised Abure’s leadership style, pointing to the lack of organisational presence in many states, including Abia.
“For instance, before Governor Alex Otti and others joined, the Labour Party didn’t even have an office in Abia. Yet Abure acted as though the party was firmly established across the country,” he remarked.
While dismissing allegations of bribery, Ekeoma admitted that party leaders, including Abure, received financial and logistical assistance during the 2023 elections.
“I’m not talking about bribes I’m talking about support. It wasn’t wrong to assist the national chairman or the party. But there were compromises everywhere you looked,” he added.
When asked about Abure’s public challenge for proof, Ekeoma dismissed it with a jab.
“If Abure meant well for the party, he wouldn’t be boasting. We’re just laughing. He thinks he’s dealing with kids,” he said.
The internal crisis within the Labour Party has become increasingly visible, casting a shadow over the political movement that once captured the hearts of millions of Nigerians—particularly young and urban voters. While suspended National Chairman Julius Abure continues to defend his integrity, his critics argue that his actions contradict the core values on which the party was founded.
On Tuesday, SaharaReporters revealed that Abure had issued a direct and defiant challenge to Peter Obi and other aspirants, demanding they present concrete evidence of any money allegedly given to him or the party during the 2023 general elections.
In a video broadcast by Symfoni, Abure denied receiving any personal financial support from candidates, including the party’s 2023 presidential flagbearer, Peter Obi.
“If provoked,” Abure warned, he would not hesitate to expose Obi and others in the opposing faction, threatening to leave them “smelling like rotten eggs.”
Speaking to party members in the Federal Capital Territory, Abure declared:
“I want to challenge all of them. I watched them on television talking about corruption. Today, I throw the challenge to every one of them from Peter Obi downward, those who contested the election. Let them come out publicly and state what they gave me personally or what they gave to the party.
“It’s not enough to hide and make vague allegations about corruption. Who gave money? Who received it? Where was it sent? I challenge them to come forward with evidence. And if they can’t, let them forever remain silent.”
Abure also hinted at plans to hold a world press conference to directly confront the accusations. He said his silence thus far was rooted in respect and hope for reconciliation.
“As a leader, I kept quiet, believing perhaps they were making mistakes and would eventually come around. When discussions about agents and funding arose, I said nothing. I chose to bear the good, the bad, and the ugly. That’s leadership. You don’t throw away a flawed child,” he said.
“When I saw that some people were going beyond their boundaries, I came out and released a periphery of what played out. And I am sure that by now, that house is no longer together as it is. I am waiting for them from top to bottom to make any other move and I will open my mouth and when I open my mouth, wherever they go to, they will be like smelly egg, rotten egg that nobody will ever buy.”
Taking aim at Abia State Governor Alex Otti, the Labour Party’s only sitting governor, Julius Abure said, “Look at the governor, jumping around like a cricket from one place to another—we didn’t collect a single kobo from him. If he gave money to anyone, let him come forward and say so. We genuinely believed in changing the face of politics, which is why we welcomed everyone without asking for anything.”
“When I met him at Transcorp, he asked me, ‘Chairman, what do I do for you?’ I said, ‘Nothing. Put your money together and use it for the election.’
“We supported them but today the party has no N1,000 from any of them, not from the governor elected that we have suspended now or from the senators and the House of Reps members, apart from some them.”
