I’m Still a Member of Labour Party, Says Obi, Warns of Instability in ADC Coalition Over Zoning

Eshiorameh Sebastian

Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has reaffirmed his membership in the party while raising a critical alarm about the stability of the opposition coalition he is subscribed to for the 2027 elections.

Obi stated this during an interview on the YouTube channel ‘Advocacy for Good Governance, where he claimed that the African Democratic Congress (ADC)-led coalition remains unstable due to unresolved fundamental issues, primarily zoning and rotation of offices.

“Today, I’m a member of the Labour Party, okay, and I subscribe to the ADC coalition for the 2027 election and I believe in it. But as much as I believe in it, I need to know the fundamentals that we all agree to respect,” Obi stated.

The former Anambra Governor pinpointed the lack of clear agreements as the core threat. He revealed that the coalition currently operates with “unsigned agreements about the presidency, unsigned agreements about rotation of offices,” a situation he described as a recipe for future confusion.

“Which is why if you say this person will come from here and this person will come from there, all those things need to be organised. The reason why it needs to be organised is: if you don’t do it, you create confusion for the future”, he insisted.

Obi emphasised that the coalition must urgently “tie up loose ends and agree on a clear direction before campaigns kick off.”

Despite these concerns, he expressed confidence in the leaders steering the coalition process, notably former Senate President David Mark and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

“I respect all those who are leaders there; of course, our chairman, David Mark, is one of those people I respect. I believe he has the political sagacity to lead the party and so many others we have there; people like my own leader, Atiku, someone I have all my respect for, who I believe believes in the good of Nigeria, and wants the best for Nigeria and all that,” Obi said.

When questioned on whether he would remain part of the coalition if not chosen as its presidential candidate, Obi expressed his primary motivation. “I’m not desperate to be president of Nigeria,” he declared. “I’m desperate to see Nigeria work.”

Obi’s reaffirmation of Labour Party membership comes against a backdrop of lingering internal crisis within the party itself. Following the 2023 elections, the LP became embroiled in a bitter leadership feud between the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) and the Lamidi Apapa faction, leading to parallel offices, conflicting court orders, and a fractured national executive.

The crisis has been characterized by allegations of financial misconduct, undue influence, and a struggle for the soul of the party between its original founders and the new wave of supporters, popularly called “Obidients,” who joined specifically for Obi’s candidacy. This internal wrangling has hampered the party’s cohesion, its ability to organise at the grassroots, and its preparation for future elections.

Today, the party has further polarised into three factions, with two factions within the Obi led group headed by Senator Nenadi Usman and the other faction led by Julius Abure, the authentic National Chairman of the party.