Abayomi Arabambi, Labour Party National Publicity Secretary, has declared that former presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, would not secure the party’s ticket for the 2027 elections.
TRIBUNE ONLINE had earlier reported that Obi, during the recent August by-elections, advised his followers to vote for candidates of the African Democratic Congress, which he has aligned with but not officially joined.
Although the Former Anambra Governor said his admonition stemmed from the absence of LP candidates across the country, the party debunked the statement as false and anti-party.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics on Monday, Arabambi said the Labour Party could survive without Obi.
He insisted the momentum the party enjoyed in 2023 was driven more by the #EndSARS movement and public discontent with the Buhari administration than by Obi’s personal influence.
“We are going to do our 2027 without Peter Obi; he will not have our ticket.
“Our plan is to get rid of these elements—people who are just an epitome of political extremism. We don’t want them in Labour Party.
“Now that they said they are going to ADC, we wish them well. Obi has one leg in Labour Party, one leg in PDP, and one leg in ADC,” he told Channels TV.
The LP chieftain challenged Obi to announce his exit from the party.
“If he believes he has that proficiency on his own to have seven million votes in 2027 general elections, we advise him to pronounce his departure from Labour Party.
“The momentum in 2023 was not because of Peter Obi, but because of EndSARS. Obi was just a man who came to whip as a result of Nigeria’s tiredness of the scandalous administration of Buhari during the EndSARS.
“He only found Labour Party as that vehicle that can provide that change, and he was just opportuned to be the head,” he added.