LP chieftain, Reuben warns of mass defection over persistent crisis

The Deputy National Chairman of the Labour Party (South-South), under the now de-recognized Julius Abure faction, Favour Reuben, has cautioned that ongoing legal disputes within the party are hindering its progress and contributing to the defection of members holding elective positions.

Reuben said the protracted crisis had weakened the party’s internal cohesion, stressing the urgent need for reconciliation among stakeholders.

Reacting to last week’s Court of Appeal judgement in favour of Esther Nenadi Usman, he noted that efforts were underway to stabilise the party and restore order to its leadership structure.

Speaking with DAILY POST, Reuben expressed confidence that the disagreements within the party were not insurmountable, emphasizing that internal conflicts were common in political organizations and could be resolved through dialogue.

“For now, based on the judgement, we are trying to reconcile, though Abure said he will go to the Supreme Court.

“But I think the party is one. What we are after is that the party should be one.

“And in every political party, those that live the party will want the party to go forward, because the litigation has been drawing us backwards.

“You could see how many House of Reps members, Senators and Assembly we have lost because of this litigation.

“And I think that in our own opinion, we better come together as a political party, so that we can face whatever that is going on.

“It’s not a matter of faction. Remember we were the first set of people that dragged Abure. When Appeal Court gave him judgement, we all reconciled with him.

“And now that Appeal Court has also given judgement to Nenadi Usman, I think we’re trying to see how the party can be one, so that we can work together,” he said.

He, however, warned that failure to resolve the crisis before timelines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, could have serious consequences for the party’s participation in future elections.

According to him, prolonged uncertainty may compel members to seek alternative political platforms, as remaining in a party unable to conduct primaries or present candidates would be politically damaging.

Despite the challenges, Reuben maintained that there is still room for optimism, expressing hope that the party will overcome its internal disputes and reposition itself ahead of upcoming electoral contests.

“There is no amount of fight in political party that cannot be settled. And I’m very optimistic that we are going to settle this and the party will move forward.

“If the party refuse to move forward, people will decide to go alternatively because, Labour Party is not the only political party in Nigeria.

“Politicians will always move. You know the way defection is moving, crossing from this part to this party.

“If people discover that the party is not ready for the settlement or to move forward, people will start moving and some of us too will leave the party, no matter how the party has been our passion.

“Certainly if issues are not resolved. We will take an alternative route and move out, because you cannot be in a party where there will be no election, nobody will present candidates. That will be suicidal,” he added.