The Interim National Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Darlington Nwokocha, says the party is unaware of any coalition involving opposition figures such as Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, and others under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stressing that LP has its internal structure and has not joined any such alliance.
Nwokocha, on Friday, distanced the party from the ADC-led coalition, aimed at unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
“Well, I don’t know about that, and I don’t know if we are in the ring; they’ve not told me that.
“When you talk about coalition – already Labour Party has the machinery of internal coalition. The Labour Party is getting extremely stronger,” Nwokocha said on Channels Television’s Politics Today when asked if the Labour Party was ready to join the coalition.
Speaking on Peter Obi’s participation in the coalition activities, Nwokocha noted that while the former Anambra governor remains respected for being the party’s 2023 presidential flagbearer, his engagements do not equate to the party joining any alliance.
“Peter Obi is an individual. We respect him because he was our flagbearer for 2023, like every other person,” he said.
“We give him that respect. Even if he decides to move around, that does not mean that he has joined ADC or whatever. He is a mature person who should interact freely – cross-pollination of ideas is allowed.”
Addressing the leadership crisis within the Labour Party, Nwokocha affirmed that Julius Abure’s tenure as National Chairman had expired and cited a “political accident” as the reason for the emergence of the interim leadership.
“Of course, Abure was our National Chairman. Once your tenure expires, forget about everything. And moreover, if you have some political accident and it becomes fatal – that is why the interim National Working Committee comes in.
“Because the tenure expired, there is no other thing to do than to bring in an interim committee. The party cannot operate in a vacuum,” the interim National Secretary said.
When asked if he was worried that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) still recognises Abure as chairman on its portal, Nwokocha replied, “That you place your picture in a place does not make you the owner of the place.
“Have they (INEC) allowed him to attend any meetings? They’ve never allowed him. He has tried all processes to go into the meetings – they’ve never allowed him.”
Responding to a question on the role of Abia State Governor Alex Otti in Friday’s NEC meeting, he clarified that Otti was a legitimate member of the NEC under the party’s constitution.
“He is a member of NEC. Constitutions differ; there are peculiarities. In the Labour Party constitution, after the National Convention, the next organ is the NEC, followed by the NWC.
“In the absence of the National Working Committee, which is the administrative arm, now it’s the NEC. What makes up the NEC, since the total sack of the National Working Committee, are: three persons from the EUC, three from the NLC, and any elected governor and their deputy.
“These are statutory members of the National Convention. In the hierarchy of our constitution, after the National Convention is the NEC, where Otti belongs,” he said.
Nwokocha also revealed that INEC was duly notified of the NEC meeting and confirmed that the party’s former women leader, Usman, who was absent from the meeting, had an emergency and would return before the weekend ends.
Weighing in on resolving the internal crisis, he argued that the issue had already been decided by the courts.
“You cannot resolve a matter that the Supreme Court has already resolved. Political resolution and legal resolution do not have the same strength. Legal resolution means going to court to find an answer. Political resolution is done internally,” he said.
Asked whether he was concerned about comments from the Abure-led faction, he replied, “No, they are our former members. They are on suspension. For whatever reason – even if they come back and say ‘we are sorry’ – we will forgive them. Are they not Nigerians?”
Nwokocha’s remarks came hours after the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), chaired by Governor Otti, appointed Senator Nenadi as Interim National Chairman and Senator Darlington Nwokocha as Interim National Secretary.
The NEC also announced the formation of an interim working committee to steer party affairs until a national convention is held to elect a new executive.
A schedule was also approved for ward, local government, state, and zonal congresses, culminating in the national convention.
Meanwhile, Kennedy Ahanotu, the National Youth Leader of the Labour Party and a loyalist of the Abure faction, on the same show, faulted the appointments, describing the move as “unconstitutional” and “illegal.”
He insisted that Abure remains the chairman of the party, citing the Labour Party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
The Labour Party has been grappling with leadership tussles since the 2023 general elections.
However, growing internal divisions, particularly between the Abure-led faction and allies of Obi, including Senator Nenadi and Governor Otti, have cast a shadow over the party’s stability ahead of the 2027 polls.
