By Our Reporter
The Labour Party has carpeted its former presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, for associating with leaders of a coalition against President Bola Tinubu after it ruled out participating in any coalition ahead of the 2027 election.
The party said that Obi’s continued association with the coalition was not only distasteful but unacceptable to it.
The national publicity secretary of the Julius Abure-led faction, Obiora Ifoh, said this in a statement on Monday.
The party said that Obi’s romance with pro-coalition leaders was confusing, adding that the former Anambra State governor had not come to terms with his intentions for the 2027 presidential race.
The statement also said that the Labour Party presidential ticket for the 2027 election was open to anyone who wants to run under its platform.
It said, “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 an automatic ticket is not one of the routes.
“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tickets to our former Presidential candidate and the only governor of the party, however, that decision has since been rescinded and reversed after consulting the statute books.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 (yesterday Sunday) seen in a meeting of a pro-coalition group in Abuja without the permission and consent of the Labour Party leadership.
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“This to us is 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 the Labour Party will not go into any coalition or merger of any sort ahead of the 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 for the party’s right to make decisions governing 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 Nation.