The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee of the Labour Party says it is excited with the prospect of having the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, run again on the party’s platform in 2027.
The LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, disclosed this in an interview with journalists.
He spoke on the backdrop of Obi’s declaration at the weekend that he intends to pursue his 2027 presidential ambition on the LP platform
The LP is currently factionalised, with Obi and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, backing Nenadi Usman to oust Abure from the party’s leadership position.
A recent Supreme Court judgment on the party’s leadership tussle did little to clarify or resolve the question of who the legitimate leader is.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission affirmed the candidate put forward by the Abure camp for the upcoming Anambra State governorship election.
In spite of the leadership tussle, Obi declared he remained in the LP and would run for president on the party’s platform in 2027.
Asked for Abure’s reaction to Obi’s declaration, Ifoh said, “We are excited about the news. If we have waited all these while for two years with all the things that happened, we can still wait for tomorrow and the next, for the whole thing to crystallise. Then we can now begin to talk about the way forward.
“Let me start by saying politics is all about interest. The interest of every Nigerian, including the Labour Party, is to have a government that can help Nigerians come out of the doldrums and not enter into more crises, whether political, social or economic.
“I believe there are so many Nigerians who have that capacity and who can also help Nigeria come out. In 2023, we gave Peter Obi the ticket and he didn’t disappoint. Rather, the system disappointed them.”
When asked if Obi had reached out to Abure, Ifoh said the channel of communication between the duo was open.
According to him, the former Anambra governor still frequently has discussions with Abure despite the cold war between both parties.
“Well, as I said elsewhere, the line of communication is not completely blocked. There are talks, though not formal. But before the 2027 poll, don’t forget that we have Anambra elections a few months from now.
“Obi is from Anambra and we expect him to play a key role in making sure that the Labour Party wins the state. So, there has been rapprochement here and there. I think at the right time, the parties will meet and thrash all the differences. From there, we’ll move on.
“If he so wishes, as he said, that he will run the next election under the Labour Party, I think it’s a good thing for us in the party. It’s a win-win situation for everyone and we wait to see how we act the talk,” he added.
Obi’s declaration however seems to be having a ripple effect in the camp of the opposition coalition championed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
When contacted for a reaction, a key stakeholder of the coalition and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal expressed surprise at Obi’s statement.
“I don’t know what is in his mind. You need to ask Obi himself when you see him.
“I just read it today too that he will be contesting in LP,” he stated.
The development comes in the wake of Obi’s assurance to his supporters that he will contest the 2027 presidential election in the Labour Party.
Obi made this known while addressing some of his supporters in a viral video circulating on social media on Saturday.
Asked which party he intends to contest in the 2027 elections, Obi said, “I will still continue to run in the Labour Party. I’m a member of the Labour Party.”
The former governor also blamed the crisis in political parties on the Nigerian government.
He said, “What is happening in the Labour Party and the PDP is caused by the government, quote me anywhere.
“We had a problem in our party before, in the past. Yar’Adua was the President. I went to him then; he called the INEC chairman (Prof. Maurice Iwu) and told him I don’t want any problem in any party. We were forced to fix it.
“But today, in all the parties, there are problems; these are deliberate problems caused by the system. These are some of the things I want to clean up if I have the opportunity.
“Parties will function very well because you can’t have a system working without a strong opposition.”
Obi charged Nigerians to take responsibility for ensuring that their votes count because even if agents are paid by political parties to look after their interests, the ultimate decision about whether the people’s votes count rests with voters.
The former governor also appealed to Nigerian youths and the electorate not to be discouraged because positive change will also be resisted by those who are beneficiaries of the old order.
The ex-presidential candidate also stated that there should be a retirement age for politicians seeking public office.
Obi said that by the time the 2027 election holds, he would be 65 years old, adding that he would not want to be contesting for elections in his 70s.
