“Labour Party Crisis Mirrors PDP’s Tribal Implosion: Is Nigeria’s Federal Democracy Collapsing?”

By Naija247news Editorial Board

The Labour Party (LP), once considered the rising hope of Nigeria’s political awakening, is now in the throes of a leadership battle that bears striking resemblance to the internal collapse of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) — a collapse rooted not in ideology but in tribal factionalism, elite interests, and a deliberate hijack of democratic structures.

At the center of the Labour Party storm is the contest over the chairmanship of Julius Abure. According to Abayomi Arabambi, a senior figure within the party, “Abure is the Chairman by Convention.” That should be clear-cut, but nothing in Nigeria’s political landscape is ever so simple. What should be a procedural confirmation has morphed into a dangerous battle, dragging the judiciary, ethnic affiliations, and national cohesion into a whirlpool of confusion.

This is not just about Abure. It’s about a system that continues to replicate the same mistakes, no matter the party or the promise it claims to carry.

The Mirror Image: Labour Party Becoming PDP in Another Costume

Let us be honest: the Labour Party is becoming a carbon copy of the PDP, whose crises over the years were never truly about ideological differences, but about who controls the party from which region. The zoning of the presidency, the National Working Committee leadership, and the chaos over primary elections have all been centered on ethnic balancing — not competence or principle.

The LP’s recent struggles show the same symptoms — factionalism based on regional loyalty, allegations of imposed leadership, and a judiciary perceived to be too compromised to deliver credible resolutions. Nigeria is yet again watching the same tribal circus play out, just under different party colours.

A Judiciary in Compromise, A Republic in Peril

One of the most dangerous dimensions to this saga is the quiet but devastating role of the judiciary. In recent years, particularly under the APC-led government, the Supreme Court has delivered several judgments that have been widely criticised by legal experts, political watchers, and civil society. The concern is not just in the outcomes, but in the increasing perception that courtrooms are being used to rubber-stamp political decisions already made behind closed doors.

This dangerous trend erodes confidence in the judiciary and creates the impression that justice can be bought, manipulated, or redefined to suit ethnic or party interests. In a federal democracy, this perception alone is enough to spark unrest, discourage political participation, and undermine the rule of law.

Nigeria’s Illusion of Federalism

At the heart of Nigeria’s political crisis is the failure to practice true federalism. Though Nigeria is called the Federal Republic, there is little in its structure or governance that reflects the principles of federalism. Appointments at the federal level are dictated by narrow interests. The over-centralization of power in Abuja has made federal positions a zero-sum game, where access to state resources becomes an ethnic battle, not a matter of national service.

What we now see in party structures like the LP is a miniature version of the same problem. The attempt to concentrate leadership power in the hands of one region or faction while shutting out others fosters resentment and fractures. That is how PDP lost its way. That is how APC continues to struggle with internal cohesion. And that is exactly the path the Labour Party is now walking.

Consequences for the 2027 Elections and Beyond

If the Labour Party cannot resolve its leadership crisis transparently and based on democratic principles, it risks losing the credibility it built in the 2023 elections. Millions of Nigerian youths and middle-class voters, tired of PDP and APC, saw hope in the LP’s message. That hope is now fading under the weight of internal contradictions.

The same can be said for PDP, whose tribal and elite-driven politics have alienated it from the masses. Unless these parties undergo a radical shift — embracing true internal democracy and rejecting tribal calculations — they will continue to be vessels for personal ambition, not national transformation.

Conclusion: Federalism or Failure

Nigeria stands at a crossroads. Will our politics remain shackled to ethnicity, regionalism, and opaque judicial interventions? Or will the country take bold steps toward genuine federalism — where every Nigerian, regardless of tribe or tongue, can aspire to leadership on the basis of merit, not identity?

The Labour Party crisis is more than a party issue. It is a reflection of Nigeria’s fractured democracy. Until we fix the foundation — internal party democracy, an impartial judiciary, and true federal character — we will continue recycling crises with different faces, but the same tragic outcomes.