A faction of the Labour Party (LP) led by Julius Abure has indefinitely suspended Abia State Governor Alex Otti and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Ireti Kingibe, citing alleged anti-party activities.

The announcement was made Wednesday in a statement by Umar Farouk Ibrahim, the LP’s national secretary. Other suspended members include Darlington Nwokocha, Victor Afam Ogene, Amobi Ogah, and Seyi Sowunmi.

The suspensions follow the May 2 inauguration of a five-member disciplinary committee, chaired by Ayo Olorunfemi, the party’s deputy national chairman, which investigated the accused members. Farouk stated that the national executive has now formally ratified the committee’s recommendations.

“By this suspension, these former members of the party will no longer act for and on behalf of the party,” Farouk declared, noting that key institutions including the Nigeria Governors Forum, National Assembly, INEC, and security agencies have been notified.

Farouk also clarified why Nenadi Usman, chair of the LP caretaker committee, was not included in the suspension, explaining, “She is not a registered member of the party. She is a member of the Obidient Support Group that worked for our 2023 presidential candidate, but we will not honour her with any sanction, as she is not a Labour Party member.”

The Abure faction further dismissed recent efforts to build a coalition of opposition parties, criticizing the initiators as lacking “the capacity, character, and competence” to lead such an alliance.

The Labour Party remains sharply divided between two major factions: the Abure-led faction and the caretaker committee led by Nenadi Usman. Previously, the Usman-led committee set up a separate panel headed by Senator Kingibe to investigate Abure over allegations of corruption, financial mismanagement, and anti-party conduct. Speaking at a press conference, Usman accused Abure of “persistently parading himself as national chairman of the party despite being removed” by the Supreme Court.