Despite opposition from the Nigeria Labour Congress, a core group in the Labour Party, Julius Abure was re-elected as its National Chairman for a second term by a unanimous decision of the party’s delegates at its convention. It was, however, unclear if the convention was attended by all the principal actors in the party.

Abure was declared the winner of the election by the chairman of the National Convention and Deputy Governor of Abia State, Mr Ikechukwu Emetu, during the party’s national convention that was held on Wednesday 27th, March 2024 in Nnewi, Anambra State.

Several journalists were barred from gaining access to the hotel venue of the meeting. However, there were no indications that Mr Peter Obi. the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election was in attendance.

The party was divided on the convention with members of the National Assembly caucus insisting on postponement to allow for more consultations. The convention was earlier scheduled to be held in Benin city before being changed to Umuahia, Abia state and later to Anambra state.

Last week, the Nigeria Labour Congress which is one of the strongest stakeholders of the Labour Party, picketed the party secretariats across the country and called for Abure’s immediate resignation and the postponement of its national convention. The Labour Party accused him of holding the party’s national convention unilaterally and of financial mismanagement.

To express their dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership, the labour union asked all of its members to work together to ensure the closure of party secretariats before the Labour Party’s convention to achieve an “all-inclusive national convention.”

But the Labour Party also charged that the NLC was meddling in its affairs, reprimanding its chairman, Joe Ajaero, for quitting his post to stand for the party’s national chairmanship at the convention on March 27, 2024.

The party added that there is a difference between the party and the Labour Union and that the latter must acknowledge that the former needs to have its existence. The party further said that the NLC’s meddling in their party’s business has grown alarming. The leadership of the party further insisted that the party was not answerable to the Labour Congress, a stance the veterans of the Congress disagreed with.

Apart from the heat from the Labour Union, Abure has been at the crossroads of controversies and intentions to oust him from the chairmanship position of the party.

In the meantime, there were hints that the party’s supporters of Mr Peter Obi, popularly known as “Obidient,” who ran for president in the last general elections, had passed a vote of no confidence in Abure due to allegations that he had mismanaged party funds during the campaign.

Despite the pressure on the party chairman, the party eventually announced Abure as chairman, leaving the public wondering whether the internal party crisis would be resolved or if Abure’s opposition would rise to depose him as chairman.