Labour Party Fails to Win Any Chairmanship Positions in Abia Local Government Elections

A report from Daily Trust reveals that Abia’s ruling Labour Party did not secure any chairmanship positions in the recent local government elections, a surprising outcome given that ruling parties typically dominate such contests....(CONTINUE READING)

The results were announced by Prof. George Chima, Chair of the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC), from their headquarters in Umuahia, where the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) won 15 chairmanship seats and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) claimed two.Prof. Chima remarked on the electoral process, stating, “We have fulfilled our mandate since being inaugurated on September 5. It was a challenging task, but we made significant efforts to raise awareness about the elections throughout the state.”

He noted the participation of over 12 political parties, a new record for the commission, and described the elections as “free, fair, and credible.”The Labour Party’s struggles in Abia mirror a recent election in Rivers State, where the Action Peoples Party (APP) won nearly all chairmanship seats while the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ended up with none.

In Rivers, Governor Siminalayi Fubara instructed his supporters to run under the APP banner amidst internal party conflicts. It remains uncertain if Governor Alex Otti of Abia similarly encouraged Labour Party members to seek positions under other party platforms due to ongoing discord within their ranks.

The Labour Party has been grappling with internal issues since the 2023 general elections. In September, Governor Otti’s faction took control and appointed Nenadi Usman to head a caretaker committee. However, a ruling from a Federal High Court in October favored Julius Abure as the party’s national chairman, further complicating the leadership dynamics within the party.