Factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, LP, Julius Abure has accused the party's 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi of failing to provide the needed leadership in the party.
Abure then warned Obi against blackmailing the party.
Labour Party has been faced with an intractable crisis, which has defied all solutions, including the Supreme Court judgement, which has been subjected to multiple interpretations.
But the Abure-led faction believes that Obi and Governor Alex Otti of Abia State could not provide true leadership to navigate the party out of the crisis.
Abure has also been consistently accused of hobnobbing with the government in power.
However, in a statement by the faction's National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, on Tuesday, he challenged Obi to provide evidence.
He said, "The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party was called to an interview on Monday granted by the party's candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi wherein he alleged that the APC led Federal Government has infiltrated the leadership of the Labour Party and by so doing, fomenting crisis in the party. But when asked to produce the evidence, Obi could not produce any tangible evidence. He however said that the national chairman, Barrister Julius Abure referred to the Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti as a dwarf.
"As a member of our party, we sincerely do not wish to join issues with Mr. Obi but for his penchant to constantly misinform Nigerians on the real reasons for the crisis in the party, knowing that virtually most other parties are in one form of crisis or the other. We sincerely hope that he should introspect and move away from these ill-conceived narratives.
"We dare Obi to produce any tangible or intangible evidence which suggests remotely or otherwise that the Abure leadership of the Labour Party is on the bed with the APC led government.”
The Abure camp added that Obi had failed, urging him to own up to his mistakes instead of accusing the government of infiltrating LP and by so doing demarketing the party.
The statement maintained that Labour Party would not go into any alliance with any other party, adding that it had every opportunity in 2023 to do so, but chose to stand by Peter Obi and even Alex Otti before and even after the general election.
"Nobody is infallible and it behoves on anyone who makes mistakes to be bold enough to own it. When good leaders fail, they should own up to their responsibilities. Obi failed in providing leadership for the party. He should own up to his mistakes," the statement added.