The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, has reaffirmed his intention to contest the 2027 general election under the Labour Party platform, while strongly alleging that the internal strife currently affecting Nigeria’s main opposition parties – the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – is being orchestrated by the government.
In a candid address to a group of young supporters, captured in a video circulating via the party’s WhatsApp channels on Saturday, Obi did not mince words in attributing the growing turbulence within opposition parties to deliberate interference by those in power.
“What is happening in the Labour Party and the PDP is caused by the government. Quote me anywhere,” he declared.
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Drawing from past experience, Obi compared the present situation to a more neutral stance under President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, whom he credited with helping de-escalate party conflicts at the time:
“We had a problem in our party before, when Yar’Adua was president. I went to him; he called the INEC Chairman and said he didn’t want any problem in any party. We were made to resolve it.
“But today, problems are deliberately created across all parties by the system itself. These are part of the issues I am committed to addressing if given the opportunity.”
Reiterating his political loyalty, Obi confirmed he would continue with the Labour Party, stating:
“I will still continue to run in the Labour Party. I’m a member of the Labour Party.”
Addressing concerns about his perceived silence during ongoing party disputes, Obi expressed his dismay at systemic manipulation designed to undermine the opposition and suppress genuine democratic competition.
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“You can’t have a functioning democracy without a strong opposition. A democracy without vibrant opposition is nothing but a dictatorship in disguise.”
The former Anambra State Governor also called on Nigerians—particularly the youth—to remain engaged and vigilant, emphasising that the protection of electoral integrity lies not just with party agents, but with the electorate.
He urged citizens not to be discouraged by resistance from entrenched interests benefiting from the current system, and called for a generational shift in leadership.
“Left to me, there should be a retirement age for politicians contesting public office,” he noted, adding that at 65 by the time of the next election, he does not envision himself running into his 70s.
