LABOUR PARTY SPLINTERS DEEPEN AS FACTION PETITIONS DSS OVER ALLEGED COUP PLOT LINKED TO PETER OBI, OTHERS

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Agency Report

Fresh internal rifts have emerged within the Labour Party (LP) following a sensational petition by its factional National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, accusing top leaders including 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Arabambi alleged in his petition to security agencies on Tuesday that Obi, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Joe Ajaero, Senator Victor Umeh, and key members of the Nenadi Usman-led LP faction were planning a nationwide “One-Million Man March” as a smokescreen for a coup.

He further claimed that the march was aimed at forcibly reclaiming the party’s former national secretariat in Utako, Abuja, currently under the control of the Julius Abure-led group.

In a swift rebuttal, LP interim national chairman Nenadi Usman, through her media aide Ken Asogwa, dismissed the claims as a “malicious and desperate frame-up” intended to blackmail and destabilise opposition figures.

“We are not aware of any planned protest anywhere in Nigeria under the auspices of the Labour Party. No individual or group has been authorised to march in our name,” the statement said.

Usman clarified that the party had formally notified security agencies of a Supreme Court ruling on April 4, 2025, which affirmed her leadership and called for the enforcement of the judgment to vacate “illegal occupants” from the secretariat. With no action taken, the faction opted to move into a new, more secure office.

“It is, therefore, laughable and deeply suspicious for anyone to insinuate that the Labour Party intends to forcibly reclaim a building it no longer uses,” the statement added.

She condemned the petition’s attempt to link the party to a coup plot, calling it a throwback to dark days of political persecution.

“This is not merely a reckless lie; it is a dangerous and desperate attempt to frame respected leaders of the Labour Party in a phoney plot to destabilise the nation,” Usman stated.

The party also raised concern over reports of Department of State Services (DSS) operatives allegedly harassing some of its officials based on the petition.

Calling for a thorough investigation to “unmask the true faces behind this sinister agenda,” the LP reiterated its commitment to democracy and urged Nigerians to view the claims as a poorly scripted political drama.

“We remain committed to the rule of law and democratic principles,” the statement concluded.