By John Alechenu
ABUJA: Loyalists of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, within the party are considering their next steps amid speculations that Obi is set to dump the party.
Obi, who was the party’s standard bearer in the 2023 election, had announced his desire to re-contest the 2027 polls on the LP platform.
Vanguard, however, gathered in Abuja on Wednesday, that arrangements have reached an advanced stage for him to seek an alternative platform following the Labour Party’s seemingly intractable leadership crisis.
A top-ranking official of the Governor Alex Otti and Peter Obi-backed Senator Nenadi Usman-led party, who spoke in confidence, said Obi appears to have “succumbed to pressures from his key supporters and advisers” to leave.
The party source said, “Those of us who have remained here are hoping against hope that the party’s troubles will simply go away, but they aren’t.
“Obi’s support base cuts across party lines; we will work with him and for him on whichever platform he decides to run, but what happens to those of us who laboured to build the LP brand to become the third force in 2023?
“We had hoped to get some form of return on our investments in 2027 when we seek public office on this platform. His presence made the difference in 2023 and can surely add value in 2027, if he remains.”
The source admitted that the confusion over whether or not to fully embrace the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as part of the coalition contributed in “no small measure” to their present ordeal.
According to the source, “If you remember, Dr. Mo, our candidate for the FCT local council election coming up in February 2026, is contesting on the ADC platform, and our leader, Peter Obi, has been campaigning with him.
“From all indications, the ADC does not have Obi in its plans. There were talks with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that one too appears to have collapsed.
“In order to contest in 2027, Obi obviously has no choice than to seek his political fortunes elsewhere. It is confusing for a lot of us.”
Asked whether the former Anambra State governor had withdrawn his support from the Usman-led LP, the source said, “He hasn’t, because he still believes something positive can still come out of it if INEC miraculously has a change of heart.”
When contacted, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, dismissed speculations about Obi dumping the LP led by Nenadi Usman as “unfounded rumours”.
He said, “We are aware that the ruling party will stop at nothing to frustrate the opposition, but we have need for them; the opposition is regrouping.
“As members of the opposition, we all know we cannot defeat this monstrous government unless we come together, and we are working hard to do that.
“Only recently, a public statement signed by Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Chief Bode George of the PDP, and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, as opposition leaders, was made public. We will succeed by God’s grace.”
The post Labour Party Obidients weigh options amid Obi defection speculations appeared first on Vanguard News.
