The Deputy National Chairman of the Labour Party in the South South, under the now de recognized Julius Abure faction, Favour Reuben, has warned that the party may witness mass defections if its internal crisis persists.
Reuben stated that ongoing legal disputes have continued to hinder the party’s progress and weaken its internal cohesion, leading to the exit of members holding elective positions.
Reacting to last week’s Court of Appeal judgment in favour of Esther Nenadi Usman, he said efforts are ongoing to stabilise the party and restore order to its leadership structure.
Speaking in an interview, Reuben expressed optimism that the crisis could be resolved through dialogue, noting that internal disagreements are not uncommon in political parties.
“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, cautioned that failure to resolve the crisis before timelines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission could affect the party’s participation in future elections.
According to him, prolonged uncertainty may force members to seek alternative platforms, as remaining in a party unable to conduct primaries or field candidates could be politically damaging.
Despite the challenges, Reuben maintained that the situation is not beyond resolution and expressed confidence that the party would overcome its difficulties.
“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.
