Factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has defended his leadership record, stating that the party’s national prominence ahead of the 2023 general elections was the result of deliberate restructuring, rebranding, and strategic political positioning carried out under his administration.
Abure made the remarks during an exclusive interview from 18:29 on Symfoni TV on Monday, May 25, 2026, while speaking on the ongoing leadership dispute involving the faction led by former senator Nenadi Usman.
Speaking during the interview, Abure said the Labour Party had limited national relevance before he assumed office as national chairman. “Before I took over the leadership of the party, the Labour Party was largely unknown, so to speak,” he stated.
He explained that upon assuming leadership, his administration initiated efforts to reposition the party and improve its public image ahead of the 2023 elections. “But when I took over the leadership of the party, I decided to launder the image of the party,” he said. “I strategically positioned it for what you saw in the 2022-2023 general election,” Abure added.
According to him, the Labour Party already possessed a distinct ideological identity, but lacked the organisational visibility and political structure needed to compete effectively on the national stage. “The party is a brand, having its own philosophy, having its own ideology. But it was subsumed. And we felt that we needed to make it look different,” he stated.
Abure said his leadership team deliberately sought individuals who shared the party’s ideals and were prepared to contribute to its development. “And so we started looking for people with like minds, people we can work with, people who are different, that we can actually serve,” he said.
He further argued that the Labour Party’s strong performance and increased visibility during the 2022–2023 political cycle reflected the efforts and sacrifices made by his leadership team. “And I’m sure that what happened in 2022-2023 is what you can testify to,” Abure stated. “So it was actually our work, our foundation, hard work, commitment, dedication, sacrifices to the party that brought it to that level,” he added.
Abure also compared his administration with previous party leaderships, claiming that earlier national chairmen did not achieve similar political growth for the party. “We have had national chairmen in the party over the years, but none of them could do what we achieved with the party in 2022-2023,” he said.
According to him, the growing influence of the Labour Party later attracted individuals interested in taking over the leadership structure of the party. “So it became the envy of people,” he stated.
Abure specifically referenced Nenadi Usman, claiming she only became involved with the Labour Party during the presidential campaign of former Labour Party candidate Peter Obi. “Nenadi Usman came to support Peter Obi’s presidential campaign. She wasn’t even a member of the party,” he said.
He concluded by insisting that the current prominence of the Labour Party was built on the foundation established by his leadership. “But because of the hard work that we did, because of the foundation that we laid, and brought the party to where it is, people are now interested in taking over the leadership of the party,” Abure stated….Read_More…