Otti, Labour Party Reject Abure’s Free Nomination Forms

The leadership crisis in the Labour Party took an unusual turn recently following the issuing of free nomination forms by Julius Abure.

On Monday, Abia State governor, Alex Otti, and the party’s recognised national leadership rejected the move by the embattled former national chairman, Abure, to distribute “free nomination forms” ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The faction loyal to Senator Nenadi Usman dismissed Abure’s action, insisting that only forms issued by the party’s recognised national secretariat in Abuja are valid.

They described the forms being circulated by Abure as “illegal, deceptive and desperate.”

Reacting to the development, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, warned aspirants against collecting documents from Abure’s camp.

He said, “Let it be stated clearly and unequivocally that Senator Nenadi Usman is the National Chairman of the Labour Party.”

He added that “all legitimate nomination forms for every elective position ahead of the 2027 general elections can only be obtained through the official national secretariat of the party located in Utako, Abuja.”

Asogwa further stressed, “any so-called Labour Party nomination form obtained from Julius Abure or any other unauthorised source is nothing but worthless paper being peddled by political fraudsters seeking to deceive unsuspecting persons.”

Governor Otti’s camp also aligned with the position, arguing that court rulings had already settled the leadership structure of the party and that Abure no longer had authority to act on its behalf.

The controversy followed reports that Abure had begun distributing forms and encouraging aspirants nationwide to participate in what he described as a “free and inclusive” nomination process.

His supporters, however, insisted he remained the legitimate chairman, citing ongoing court cases.

The Usman-led leadership maintained that the Labour Party had moved on and urged members to ignore parallel structures, warning that participation in them could invalidate political ambitions.