*Party declares presidential ticket open
By Citizenship Newspaper
Indications have emerged that the Julius Abure faction of the Labour Party (LP) may have concluded plans to dump its 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi following his continuous involvement in the coalition talks among some notable politicians from different opposition parties.
The LP in a statement on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary (NPS), Obiora Ifoh said it is no longer going to give Obi the privilege of being its sole presidential candidate in the forthcoming 2027 general elections.
Ifoh said the leadership of the party views as an affront the involvement of the former governor of Anambra state in the coalition calls without the consent of the leadership.
He equally rubbished the insinuation in a section of the media that the party was celebrating that Obi plans to run the 2027 election on its platform.
“The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party has been drawn to the news trending in the media that the party is “celebrating” that its candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi has declared his intention to run on the platform of the party in 2027. I want to state emphatically that I was quoted out of context and therefore, the impression conveyed by the news was erroneous, inaccurate and does not in any way reflect the position and mood in the party.
“First, while we are not opposed to anybody running under the platform of the Labour Party in the 2027 general election, we need to make it categorically clear that the party has a long standing rule on how its candidates shall emerge and automatic ticket is not one of the routes”.
Ifoh added that the party made a mistake in 2023 when it granted automatic tickets to Obi and the governor of Abia state, Dr. Alex Otti, saying the error will not be repeated in 2027.
“Recall that at the party’s National Convention in 2024, the party had erroneously granted automatic tickets to our former Presidential candidate and the only governor of the party, however, that decision has since been rescinded and reversed after consulting the statute books.
“Second, His Excellency, Peter Obi, hours after he spoke of his intention to run under the Labour Party, was on Sunday seen in a meeting of a pro-coalition group in Abuja without the permission and consent of the Labour Party leadership. This to us is really confusing and we think that Peter Obi has not come to terms with his intentions for the 2027 presidential race.
“We have consistently said that Labour Party will not go into any coalition or merger of any sort ahead of 2027 general election, therefore Obi’s continued association with the coalition is not only distasteful but unacceptable to the party. It is also an affront to the party leadership and we view his position as a total disregard to the party’s right to make decision bidding its affairs.
“We are therefore by this statement letting Nigerians know that the presidency for 2027 is open to anyone who wants to run under the platform of the party”, the statement concluded.
