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From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
A crisis has erupted within the Labour Party in Ebonyi State over an alleged attempt by some party leaders to hijack the structure of the party and secretly negotiate political deals ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The crisis erupted after the party’s state executive council publicly rejected some chieftains of the party over what members of the council described as unauthorised political dealings and the alleged imposition of a presidential aspirant on the party.
In a strongly worded communiqué signed by the State Secretary, Innocent Igiri, alongside other state and zonal executives, the party accused some chieftains of sidelining grassroots members and taking critical decisions in Abuja without the knowledge or approval of the state structure.
The executives declared that the Labour Party in Ebonyi “is not a private property” belonging to any individual or group, insisting that no leader has the authority to negotiate or transact business on behalf of the party without consultation with members at the state level.
According to the communiqué, the party rejected what it described as ongoing secret alignments with members of the All Progressives Congress, alleging that the move was capable of destabilising the Labour Party and destroying the gains made by members since the 2023 elections.
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The executives alleged that a non-member of the party purchased a presidential nomination form without first consulting the party leadership and members in the state, describing the action as suspicious and unacceptable.
“You cannot just join a serious party like LP and move straight to Abuja to purchase presidential forms worth N50 million without first engaging the party structure at home,” the communiqué stated.
The executives further claimed that members of the party had made huge sacrifices, suffered attacks, lost businesses, and sustained injuries during internal political battles that shaped the current structure of the Labour Party in the state. They maintained that such sacrifices would not be allowed to be undermined by what they called “smart moves” aimed at hijacking the party.
The communiqué also accused some leaders of attempting to run the affairs of the party from Abuja instead of the official party secretariat in Ebonyi State, warning that such actions could trigger another round of internal crisis similar to previous leadership disputes within the party.
The party appealed to the national leadership of the Labour Party, including Alex Otti and Esther Nenadi Usman, to resist any attempt to impose decisions on the Ebonyi chapter without consulting stakeholders at the grassroots level.
The executives insisted that every aspirant seeking to contest elections under the Labour Party in Ebonyi State must first engage and carry along the state structure before making any political declarations or financial commitments.
