The internal crisis within the Labour Party (LP) deepened on Monday as the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, declared that Peter Obi will not be the party’s presidential flagbearer in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during an interview on Lunchtime Politics on Channels Television, Arabambi said the LP is already preparing for 2027 without Obi in the picture.
“We are going to do our 2027 without Peter Obi; he will not have our ticket,” Arabambi stated bluntly.
The party spokesman accused Obi of aligning with opposition figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, suggesting that the former LP candidate is no longer committed to the party’s ideals.
He also criticized LP’s acting National Chairperson, Nenadi Usman, and activist Aisha Yesufu, alleging that both were working behind the scenes with Obi to push an agenda not sanctioned by the party.
“Obi has one leg in Labour Party, one in PDP, and another in ADC,” Arabambi claimed. “He should just come out and officially announce his exit.”
Arabambi further argued that the support Obi enjoyed during the 2023 election was not due to his personal popularity, but rather a product of the EndSARS movement and public discontent with the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Obi only found Labour Party as a vehicle for change and happened to be in the right place at the right time,” he added.
Arabambi revealed that the party is taking steps to expel individuals he described as “political extremists,” whom he says are damaging the party’s credibility.
“Our plan is to get rid of these elements. We don’t want them in Labour Party,” he said.
He wished Obi and his alleged allies well in their new political alignments, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which Obi has reportedly been engaging with as part of a broader coalition.
