On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Senate, expressed skepticism about the Labour Party’s (LP) ability to win the 2027 general elections due to internal divisions, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm. Kingibe, a prominent LP member, highlighted the party’s “fractured and broken” state, citing two warring factions led by Esther Nenadi-Usman and Julius Abure, which have paralyzed its cohesion. While reaffirming her current LP membership, she confirmed her alignment with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, launched on July 2, 2025, as a viable platform for opposition politics, particularly for the upcoming FCT local government elections in February 2026. Kingibe stated, “The Labour Party would have been that platform, but it was broken… ADC has credible candidates, and it is that platform we are going to use to show them.” She left open the possibility of defection, saying, “Maybe, I might eventually leave,” if the LP’s crisis persists.
Context and Political Implications
The LP’s internal strife, exacerbated by disputes over leadership and the 2025 national convention, has led to defections, with figures like Peter Obi engaging with the ADC coalition while maintaining LP ties (web:0,5,13). The ADC, backed by heavyweights like David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Atiku Abubakar, and Rotimi Amaechi, has absorbed PDP structures in Yobe, Gombe, and Adamawa, and gained defectors in Borno and Ondo, positioning it as a major opposition force against the All Progressives Congress (APC) (web:5,10,19). Kingibe’s pivot to the ADC reflects frustration with the LP’s inability to resolve its crisis, with Abure’s faction threatening to expel Obi for his coalition involvement, a move dismissed by Nenadi-Usman’s faction as “laughable”.
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