The leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party deepened on Monday as the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee rejected reconciliation moves by Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, describing the effort as insincere and premature.

The Abure faction insisted that the legal battle over the party’s leadership was far from over and accused Otti of being responsible for the crisis now tearing the party apart.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, dismissed the reconciliation call and questioned its timing.

“We are not interested in any move by Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, to reconcile the party because he was the one who brought the crisis to the party in the first place,” Ifoh said.

“This reconciliatory thing he is throwing around is of no use. What we just witnessed was a judgment by a court of first instance. Why can’t he wait for the outcome of the appeal before deciding on such a move?

“Why is he suddenly in a rush to call for reconciliation? As far as we are concerned, their celebration is a pyrrhic victory. It will soon die down, and Nigerians will behold the true leadership of the party. Let him know that the battle is not over.”

The hardline stance by the Abure camp highlights the depth of division within the party, despite recent court rulings and the intervention of the Independent National Electoral Commission, which has recognised the Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee.

The rejection came barely hours after Otti publicly expressed regret over the exit of the party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, describing his departure as a major setback for the Labour Party.

Otti spoke in Abuja during a meeting with members of the party’s Board of Trustees, leaders of the National Caretaker Committee and representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress.

The meeting followed INEC’s decision to recognise the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee—a move earlier described by the Abure faction as hasty, prejudicial and aimed at undermining the party’s leadership.

During the meeting, Otti said the new leadership had resolved to pursue reconciliation and rebuild internal cohesion following its court victory.

“We have decided that there is a need to set up a reconciliation committee,” he said. “The interim NWC will advise us on when to do so. The idea is to reconcile everyone who desires to return.

“We appeal to Julius Abure and his team to sheathe their swords and come back to the party. If they abide by the rules of the party, we will be happy to see them back.”

Otti also said the party would not participate in the forthcoming FCT council elections and ruled out joining any external opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Labour is already a coalition—the coalition of Nigerian workers and progressive-minded people,” he said. “We have no plans to join another coalition.”

He commended INEC for complying with the judgment of the Federal High Court by replacing the Abure-led executives with the Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee on its portal.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Labour Party’s Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration, Marcel Ngogbehei, blamed Otti and Peter Obi for the protracted crisis.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Ngogbehei said Otti, as the party’s most powerful elected official, failed to convert the momentum of the 2023 elections into durable party structures.

“By sponsoring and legitimising a caretaker committee, launched conspicuously in Abia State, Otti injected executive weight into an already volatile leadership dispute,” he said.

“Caretaker committees are not neutral instruments; they are factional weapons. Predictably, this entrenched parallel authorities, multiplied court cases and accelerated the party’s legal disintegration.”

Ngogbehei also faulted Obi for refusing to intervene decisively to reconcile the warring factions.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised the alarm over what he described as the growing audacity of bandits operating across the country, lamenting that criminal groups continued to attack communities and take hostages with little resistance.

Atiku, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), expressed his concerns while reacting to the latest attack on Kurmin Wali community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where about 177 worshippers were abducted from three churches.

In a statement signed by Atiku’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, and dated January 21, 2026, the former vice president said it was troubling that despite claims by some state governments of success in negotiating peace deals with bandits, the same criminal elements were still carrying out violent attacks unchecked.

“It’s colossally embarrassing to see non-state actors holding the country hostage and attacking people and taking hostages again and again unchallenged,” Atiku said.

He argued that deterrence becomes difficult in a situation where state authorities appeared weakened in their response to insecurity, noting that some governors have resorted to pleading with bandits under the guise of peace negotiations.

Atiku clarified that while he was not opposed to dialogue as a means of ending violence, he rejected any arrangement in which armed groups dictate the terms of engagement

“Those peace deals always favour the bandits more than their victims and they have always fooled the government’s negotiators,” he said.

The former vice president also faulted what he described as reactive responses to insecurity, advising that government action should not be limited to moments after attacks have already occurred.

“Nigerians are no longer impressed by the powerful language of condemnation by the government. They’re more interested in results than rhetoric. Experience has shown that if rhetoric were enough to deter the bandits, the menace would have ended a long time ago,” he added.

Atiku further stressed that the administration of President Bola Tinubu must be held accountable for its campaign promises to tackle insecurity across the country.

“Nigerians cannot be comforted by excuses. As a former opposition party, the APC held the then government in power to the harshest and merciless standards and therefore, the Tinubu administration must be held to the same standards,” he said.

Our correspondent had reported that an incident on Sunday, January 18, at three churches in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, resulted in the abduction of over 160 people. Initially, the State government and Police Command denied that the incident took place but later admitted to it on Tuesday through a statement by their spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin. This admission came after widespread public criticism of the police’s initial denial.

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A former Minister of State for Education and two-time member of the House of Representatives, Dr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, has formally declared his interest in contesting the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Nwajiuba contested for the same office on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2022 but pulled out blaming manipulation of the system.

Nwajiuba has joined former Vice President, Atiku Abubukar, Peter Obi, Chibuike Amaechi as those who are said to be having  interest in getting the ADC’s presidential ticket for the 2027 general election.

 Speaking to our correspondent , Nwajiuba said  it won’t be business as usual as Nigerians should be looking at aspirants with proven integrity and requisite educational and work experience.

Nwajiuba, a seasoned lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar in1989 and a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), is entering  the race with a message anchored on what he describes as a “competence-first” approach to leadership.

His declaration signals the entry of a candidate who is positioning experience, policy depth, and institutional knowledge at the centre of national governance.

Speaking on his ambition, Nwajiuba emphasised that Nigeria’s current challenges require leadership driven by clear policies, effective negotiation skills, and a strong grassroots political structure rather than rhetoric.

 He noted that his years in the legislature, the executive arm of government, and key national institutions have equipped him with a broad understanding of governance and public finance.

 The former minister is expected to focus his campaign on education reform, economic stabilisation, and rebuilding public trust in government institutions.

Political observers say his entry into the race on the ADC platform adds a new dimension to the evolving presidential contest, particularly as smaller parties seek to present alternative leadership choices to Nigerians.

With his declaration, Nwajiuba joins a growing list of aspirants aiming to shape the national conversation ahead of the next general election, as debates around competence, experience, and inclusive governance continue to gain momentum