2027 elections : Labour Party retrieves presidential, guber tickets from Obi, Otti
The National Executive Council (NEC) of Labour Party said it has withdrawn its presidential and governorship election tickets for the 2027 polls earlier given to Mr Peter Obi and the Abia state governor Dr Alex Otti, respectively.
The party had at its national convention in Nnewi, in 2023, adopted its presidential flag bearer in the last general election (Obi) as its sole candidate for the office in the next presidential poll. It also did the same as with Otti, for the next Abia state gubernatorial election.
However, following a stakeholders meeting convened by Governor Otti in Umuahia Abia state last week Wednesday, in which Nenadi Usman emerged the party’s interim national coordinator, the embattled National chairman at a NEC meeting on Monday noted that the governor of Abia state “do not have the power within the party’s constitution as provided in Article 14(4) (B) which gives power to call meetings only to the National Secretary with the approval of National Chairman.”
Abure with his National Working Committee (NWC), who has been excommunicated by INEC, described the Abia summit as an “illegality and a nullity,” and disassociated himself from the outcome.
A communique issued at the end of the meeting, and read by the Deputy National Secretary, Innocent Okeke, maintained there was no vacuum in the leadership of the party, as it urged the INEC National Chairman, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, “to stop aiding and abetting” Otti against the party.
It argued that the governor’s position on the tenure of the NWC was informed by the INEC Chairman’s insistence that the committee’s time in office had expired.
Continuing, the party set up a disciplinary committee to checkmate anti-party activities, even as it reviewed reconciliatory moves made towards other members.
The communique further said, “NEC in session also reviewed the decision of the National Convention to reserve its presidential and governorship tickets for Peter Gregory Obi and Alex Otti respectively.
“Consequently, all tickets of the party from presidency to the House of assemblies are open to all qualified Nigerians.
“NEC in session also grant the National Working Committee powers to take disciplinary action against any member that brings the party to disrepute”.
Meanwhile, Abure while addressing journalists, at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja, said, “I stand before you today with a heavy heart but with an unshakable resolve to defend the party. I stand not just as your National Chairman, but as a guardian of the principles that hold our great party together, principles of unity, justice, and integrity.
“We are at a critical moment in the life of our party. Recent events have shown that those who should stand with us in the fight for a better restructured, organised and united party, have chosen a different path.
“A path not of unity, but of division. I speak, of course, of the illegal gathering that took place in Abia state, an attempt to create a rift within our party, led by none other than His Excellency Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti.
“This meeting, held without the authority or consent of the National Executive Council, sought to install a so-called “new leadership.” Let me be clear: this action was not just illegal, it was a betrayal of everything the Labour Party stands for: A reward for loyalty with ingratitude, a reward for support with insubordination.
“The Labour Party has always been a beacon of hope for the oppressed, the marginalised, and the voiceless in Nigeria. Our mandate is to unite this country, not divide it.
“Yet, here we are, faced with a situation where individuals who have benefitted from the trust and support of this great party now work to destabilise it from within. This is why I say the beautiful ones are not yet born in Nigeria.
“For those who have chosen to align themselves with this illegal action, I urge them to reconsider. The action of creating division is not just a political maneuver, it is a dangerous game.
“A game that, if allowed to continue, will dig a hole too deep for us to climb out of. Division within the Labour Party is division within Nigeria.
“And make no mistake, the consequences of such actions will not only affect the future of this party but the future of those who want to run elections under the platform of the Party.
“The Labour Party was built on the backs of honest Nigerians who believed in the possibility of a better tomorrow.
