The Labour Party (LP) has officially declared that its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will not be offered its ticket for the 2027 election.
The announcement was made by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, during an interview on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics on Monday.
Amid an ongoing internal crisis within the party, Arabambi stated clearly that the Labour Party could and would continue without its 2023 flagbearer. “We are going to do our 2027 without Peter Obi; he will not have our ticket,” he said.
Arabambi also launched strong criticisms against the LP’s acting National Chairperson, Nenadi Usman, and the prominent activist Aisha Yesufu, accusing them of working with Obi against the party’s interests. He indicated that the party would be taking steps to remove them from its ranks.
The party spokesman directly challenged Peter Obi to make his position clear, suggesting he was not fully committed to the Labour Party. “Obi has one leg in Labour Party, one leg in PDP, and one leg in ADC. If he believes he has that proficiency on his own to have seven million votes in 2027 general elections, we advise him to pronounce his departure from Labour Party,” Arabambi stated.
In a significant downplaying of Obi’s political influence, Arabambi claimed that the momentum behind the Labour Party in the 2023 election was not due to its candidate but was instead a public reaction to other factors.
He argued, “The momentum in 2023 was not because of Peter Obi, but because of EndSARS. Obi was just a man who came to whip as a result of Nigeria’s tiredness of the scandalous administration of Buhari during the EndSARS.
He only found Labour Party as that vehicle that can provide that change, and he was just opportuned to be the head.”
This public declaration marks a major fracture between Peter Obi and a faction of the Labour Party, setting the stage for a significant political realignment ahead of the next general election.
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