Peter Obi has not left Labour Party, only hibernating in ADC — Arambambi

The South-West National Chairman of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arambambi, has insisted that former Anambra State Governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has not defected from the Labour Party, describing his involvement with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a temporary “hibernation.”

Speaking on News Central TV’s Breakfast Central, Arambambi also dismissed reports suggesting that the tenure of Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, has expired, saying such claims were wrongly attributed to a Supreme Court judgment.

“It was narrated to the media that the court said that the tenure of Julius Abure, but I want to explain this thing to you,” he said. “You should know that no court in Nigeria said Abure’s tenure has expired. In that Supreme Court judgement, there is no court that said Abure’s tenure has expired.”

He challenged anyone claiming otherwise to provide evidence. “If there is any court, I challenge [them] to petition the police because what that judgement was [being said is] an act of perjury, because you have no right to review the Supreme Court ruling,” he stated.

Turning to Peter Obi’s political status, Arambambi maintained that Obi remains in the Labour Party. “That aside, Peter Obi has not left Labour Party; he is just hibernating in ADC,” he said.

He argued that unlike other politicians who openly defected to the ADC, Obi has not formally resigned from the Labour Party. “I say this because we have seen former Vice President resigned PDP and joined ADC, former governor of Rivers resigned from APC and joined ADC, even El-Rufai, and others all resigned openly and obtained their ADC cards,” Arambambi said.

He further challenged critics to show proof of Obi’s defection. “I challenge anybody to come out and tell me where Obi obtained his own card. For me, Mr Obi is just hibernating,” he added.

Arambambi warned that the Labour Party would not allow itself to be used for what he described as political comeback efforts. “He is just coming back, but our party will not allow our party to be a tool of political resurrection,” he said.

He also claimed that Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti have no intention of contesting the 2027 presidential election. “They (Obi and Otti) are not running for presidency in 2027. They just want to run to make sure Nigeria is ungovernable,” Arambambi alleged.

Arambambi’s statements come amid significant uncertainty over Obi’s political future following his apparent engagement with the ADC, a situation that has been viewed by many as an exodus from the Labour Party.

This comes at a time when Nigeria’s political environment is being changed by a cyclone of defections, with numerous high-profile politicians ditching opposition parties for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while others seek safety in alternative platforms like the ADC.

Vanguard News

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