Abuja, Nigeria — Tensions have intensified within the Labour Party (LP) following a divisive petition alleging that several top party leaders, including 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, are involved in a plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The fresh controversy erupted on Tuesday when Abayomi Arabambi, the factional National Publicity Secretary, submitted a petition to security agencies. In it, he accused Obi, NLC President Joe Ajaero, Senator Victor Umeh, and senior members of the Nenadi Usman-led faction of planning a coordinated national protest dubbed a “One-Million Man March”, which he claimed was a cover for a coup attempt.
Arabambi further alleged that the planned demonstration aimed to forcibly reclaim the Labour Party’s former national secretariat in Utako, Abuja, currently under the control of the Julius Abure-led faction.
In a swift rebuttal, Nenadi Usman, the party’s interim national chairman, through her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa, condemned the petition as a “malicious and desperate frame-up” intended to undermine the opposition and mislead security agencies.
“The Labour Party leadership is not aware of any protest under its name,” Usman stated, distancing the party from any demonstration or plan to retake its former office.
She clarified that since the April 4, 2025 Supreme Court ruling affirming her leadership, the party had officially informed security agencies about the need to remove “illegal occupants” from the old secretariat but had since relocated to a new office due to lack of enforcement.
“It is laughable and suspicious to suggest the party wants to reclaim a building it has already abandoned,” she added.
Usman further expressed concern over what she described as a “dangerous twist”, warning that the petition’s suggestion of a coup plot harked back to an era of political witch-hunts and fabricated treason charges.
“This is not only a reckless lie but a sinister attempt to frame up respected leaders of the Labour Party in an imaginary plot to destabilise the country,” she warned.
The party also raised alarms over reported harassment of LP officials by DSS operatives, allegedly acting on the strength of Arabambi’s petition. Usman called for a full investigation to expose what she termed a “poorly scripted political drama” designed to intimidate and distract the opposition.
“We remain committed to the rule of law and democratic values. Nigerians must not be deceived by this act of cowardice and desperation,” the statement concluded.
The deepening division signals a turbulent period for the Labour Party, even as questions mount about political interference and the future of opposition politics in Nigeria.
By Adeola Olaniya | July 31, 2025
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