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Nenadi Usman, interim caretaker committee chairperson of the Labour Party (LP), says it would be “legally impossible” for Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra, to secure the party’s 2027 presidential ticket.
Obi contested the 2023 presidential election on the LP platform, finishing third behind former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and eventual winner of the general election President Bola Tinubu.
The ex-governor, however, quit the LP in December 2025 for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he is one of the hopefuls for the party’s presidential ticket.
Amid a leadership crisis within the ADC, culminating in the derecognition of its factions by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), speculation has grown over Obi’s possible return to the LP.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television on Wednesday night, Usman said the party’s rules and electoral guidelines leave no room for late entrants once the register of eligible participants has been closed and submitted to INEC.
“It will actually be too late for him to come back,” she said.
“At some point, we close the register, and once we close it 21 days before the primaries and submit the e-register to INEC, you can’t come from behind the door for us to register you and for you to contest. That would be legally impossible.”
Despite her stance, Usman acknowledged Obi’s significant role in the party’s rise during the 2023 poll, noting that his candidacy attracted widespread support.
“Peter Obi really took the party to great heights in 2023,” she said, adding that many current members, including herself, joined the LP because of him.
“He convinced me to come with him to the Labour Party. And not just me, many people joined because we believed in equity and fair play,” she stated, noting that dissatisfaction with the zoning decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) influenced their defection.
‘A CASE TO DESTABILISE THE PARTY’
On Monday, the court of appeal in Abuja dismissed an appeal filed by Julius Abure, the LP’s factional chairman, seeking to overturn a previous ruling on the party’s leadership crisis.
In a judgment delivered by Oyejoju Oyewumi, the appellate court upheld the decision of the lower court, affirming that the leadership dispute had already been settled.
The court also ruled that the federal high court acted within its constitutional powers in directing INEC to recognise Usman as the party’s national chairperson.
Reacting to the ruling, Usman accused opposing factions of attempting to destabilise the party through multiple litigations.
“It was _a case to_ destabilise the party,” she said.
“You see one person filing nothing less than eight cases in eight different courts across eight different states, all seeking one relief. That is an abuse of court processes.”
She also shared that INEC recently conducted a verification exercise at the party’s office, which she described as successful, adding that even some officials from previous leadership structures were in attendance.
Usman said the party would commence its congresses immediately, culminating in a national convention scheduled to hold in Umuahia, Abia state.
She noted that all factions, including the Abure group, had been invited as part of efforts to foster unity.
“We’ve extended an olive branch. We just want to build the party,” she said.
Usman also emphasised the importance of institutional strength over individual dominance, warning against attempts to personalise party leadership.
“We don’t want anybody to perpetuate themselves as chairman for life. Leadership in a political party has a tenure, you come, you go, but the party should remain,” she added.
She expressed optimism that the upcoming convention would unify the party, noting that no single individual defines its identity.
“The Labour Party is not tied to any one person,” Usman said.
“By the time we gather for the convention, we will see a more united party.”
