The Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, has extended an olive branch to Peter Obi, the party's former presidential torchbearer, Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, and other aggrieved stakeholders, saying he bears no grudge against anyone.

Abure has been struggling to hold the Labour Party together following a controversial Nnewi convention that returned him and members of his national executive to office.

The embattled chairman has been on a warpath with the chieftain and major party stakeholders who opposed his reelection because the convention wasn't inclusive and expansive.

The ensuing crisis prompted Obi, alongside some stakeholders, to set up a 29-man caretaker committee in July this year.

Headed by former minister of finance Nenadi Usman, the committee was given the mandate to conduct an expanded convention to birth new executives from ward to national levels.

However, the move hit a snag after a Federal High Court in Abuja affirmed Abure as the authentic LP national chairman.

Meanwhile, since his triumph in court, the chairman has been making frantic efforts to win back the trust of the aggrieved party chieftains.

In a recent interview, he debunked the claim of a crisis in the Labour Party while urging the aggrieved members to return to the fold.

“I want to say there is no more crisis in the party. The court has said there is only one leader in LP. And if there is a dispute in the country or anywhere, the only place you can go for reprieve is the court. It was said that our national convention didn’t follow due process. That was why people went to court.

“INEC said we didn’t follow due process and we went to court. The court said the convention was in line with the party constitution, electoral act and the constitution of the land. INEC has since obeyed it and we are working very closely with the commission.

“All those who feel offended should come back to the party. We have forgiven all those who perceived they had done us one thing or the other. I am not angry. We have put it behind us and LP is one big family,” he told Saturday Punch.

Abure laments economic hardship

The Labour Party chairman also expressed deep concerns over the plight of Nigerians, who are undergoing serious economic hardship but argued that the situation can't be solely blamed on the leadership.

He also lent his voice to the call for effective electoral reform to resolve the recurring challenges associated with electing good leaders in the country.

Our country today is at a crossroads. It is a time for all of us to do a sober reflection. The problem is not just down to leadership. It also involves the followership.

“We need our mindset and philosophy for the Labour Party to drive a change. Electoral reform is a programme we must pursue to have leaders with dignity and integrity and drive developments in the country,” Abure added.