LP Unveils Lagos Caretaker Team, Says Defections No Threat

Ahead of the build-up to the 2027 general elections, the Labour Party (LP) said it remains undisturbed by recent defections and internal challenges.

Instead, the party is embarking on a major restructuring and grassroots rebranding campaign to reclaim its political relevance.

Speaking during the inauguration of the LP Lagos Caretaker Executive Committee on Friday evening, the leader of the Labour Party Caucus in the House of Representatives, Afam Ogene, dismissed concerns that the party is losing ground due to recent defections to rival parties.

“It’s not everybody who is defecting to the ruling party,” Ogene stated. “Just two days ago, two members from Enugu left for the PDP. But that’s the nature of politics in Nigeria. By the time party primaries begin early next year, there will be what scientists call reverse osmosis, people will return.”

Ogene, who also serves on the party’s National Caretaker Committee, said the party is focused on restoring internal democracy and revamping its structures from ward to state levels.

He attributed the stagnation of the party’s operations in key states like Lagos to the leadership style of former national chairman Julius Abure, whose tenure was marred by constitutional violations.

“For four or five years, there were no congresses in Lagos. Abure just kept renewing tenures arbitrarily,” Ogene noted. “But with the coming local government elections, we’ve decided to start rebuilding from Lagos, and this will extend nationwide.”

He asserted the party’s leadership crisis has been conclusively resolved by the Supreme Court, which affirmed the end of Abure’s tenure and cleared the path for internal reforms.

“There is no leadership tussle that I know of. The Supreme Court ruled clearly. People are free to gather and call themselves a faction but we’re moving on,” Ogene said confidently. “In politics, 24 hours is a long time. By early next year, the landscape will change. Mark my words.”