Former Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, has cautioned Senator Seriake Dickson, leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), against conceding control of the party’s structure to Peter Obi and his supporters, warning that doing so could trigger a crisis similar to the one that engulfed the Labour Party (LP).

Abure issued the warning in a statement on Monday following Obi’s emergence as the NDC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election after securing the party’s ticket at its national convention in Abuja.

According to Abure, Dickson appears to have learned from the Labour Party’s experience by resisting attempts to allow Obi’s loyalists dominate all elective positions within the NDC. He described the move as strategic and necessary for preserving the party’s identity and leadership.

Drawing from his experience in the Labour Party, Abure alleged that Obi, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, and many elected officials who won under the LP platform in 2023 later turned against the party leadership after assuming office.

He claimed that the Labour Party leadership made enormous sacrifices to accommodate Obi and his supporters ahead of the 2023 elections, including granting several party tickets to his allies free of charge in the belief that they would help strengthen and grow the party after winning office.

“We invested in them and supported their ambitions, expecting they would help build the party. Instead, they turned against the leadership once they got into power,” Abure said.

The former LP chairman further alleged that Obi’s supporters joined the NDC with the intention of taking over the party’s structure, similar to what he claimed happened in the Labour Party.

Abure also revisited the leadership crisis that rocked the LP, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of contributing to the dispute by recognising the position that the tenure of the party’s executives had expired. This development eventually led to the emergence of the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee.

He maintained that political parties should avoid surrendering their structures entirely to new entrants, regardless of their popularity, stressing that party leaders must retain loyal members within key positions to protect the organisation during periods of internal disagreement.

Abure’s remarks come amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election and growing debates over the influence of Peter Obi and his supporters within the newly adopted NDC platform.

The Labour Party leadership tussle remains unresolved politically despite court rulings that recognised the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee and dismissed Abure’s challenge to his removal as national chairman.