The Labour Party has ruled out granting automatic candidacy to any aspirant ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that former presidential candidate Peter Obi must compete in party primaries if he chooses to return. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, made this known in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Thursday, amid growing uncertainty over Obi’s political direction and a widening rift with the Julius Abure-led LP leadership.
Ifoh emphasised that the party remained open to reconciliation with Obi and other aggrieved members, but warned that its internal democratic processes would not be compromised. He said, “Every candidate must emerge through a democratically convened convention. There is no automatic ticket for anyone, whether as presidential, governorship or chairmanship aspirants.”
He added that Obi had kept a distance from the current leadership for about a year. “The only thing that we know is that in the last one year, he has not really spoken with the current leadership. And we take it like that because not only him, so many other persons have also not done much.”
Ifoh explained that the recent National Executive Committee meeting focused on kick-starting congresses and primaries. “We have conducted primaries in Ekiti State and will soon repeat the process in Osun. INEC monitored everything and provided key codes to upload our candidates,” he said.
The strained relationship between Obi and Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure dates back to the 2023 presidential election, with allegations of financial mismanagement and leadership consolidation. Obi’s withdrawal from party activities by early 2024 deepened the ambiguity surrounding his political future.
The party’s position comes shortly after the African Democratic Congress urged Obi to decide whether to join its emerging coalition, insisting that zoning and internal rules would not be altered to accommodate him.
