By John Alechenu
The chances of the Labour Party in the forthcoming Anambra State governorship election scheduled to hold in November 2025 are uncertain due to the party’s seemingly unending leadership crisis.
Just when most party loyalists thought the Supreme Court judgment has laid the crisis to rest, fresh disputes over its interpretation has emboldened some party leaders to lay claim to leadership positions.
Sunday Vanguard learnt that while party stakeholders, led by its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor Alex Otti, have galvanized substantial support for the Senator Esther Nenadi Usman-led LP National Caretaker Committee, Comrade Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) has vowed to fight on.
As if this is not enough trouble, the party’s Deputy National Chairman (South), Alhaji Lamidi Apapa, has resurfaced with a claim that he is now National Chair, arguing that the Supreme Court verdict created a vacuum in the position of Chairman.
Apapa argued that the party’s constitution provides that once the position of Chairman becomes vacant when the occupant becomes incapacitated, is removed, resigns or dies, the deputy takes over.
This situation has put party supporters sympathetic to Chief George Muoghalu, who was selected by the Abure-led NWC as the party’s governorship candidate for the Anambra State election, in limbo.
Muoghalu, a former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), garnered 573 votes to emerge as the party’s candidate in the governorship primary conducted by the Abure team.
Another faction of the party held a parallel primary. After the event, it announced the member representing Onitsha South II in Anambra State House of Assembly, Jude Umenajiego, as the party’s candidate.
Umenajiego polled 180 votes to defeat his rival, John Nwosu, who polled 69 votes.
Battle ground
The battle ground has now shifted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as each of the factions struggle’s for recognition.
However, the spokesperson for the Abure-led NWC, Obiora Ifoh, dismissed the “second primary” as fake.
He said, “For the benefit of doubt, the Labour Party has since concluded its governorship primary in Anambra State and the name of the successful candidate has already been submitted to the INEC in line with the election guidelines.
“We are, therefore, disassociating the party from any other or outcome of any primaries as the party has moved on, waiting for the right time to flag off our campaigns.”
The National Secretary of the LP-NCC, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, dismissed what he called the purported party primary that produced Moghalu as illegal. According to him, the party under the leadership of Senator Nenadi Usman would soon give party faithful in the state the proper direction.
It remains to be seen whether the LP-NCC, which is in the process of settling down to business, can get the party together in time for it to enter into the polls as a united front.
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