ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Labour Party Chairman Nenadi Usman stated on Wednesday that former presidential candidate Peter Obi will be unable to return to the party to contest the 2027 election due to statutory registration deadlines.
Okay News reports that Usman outlined these limitations during a broadcast interview on Arise Television, citing guidelines established by the Independent National Electoral Commission, also known as INEC.
“Well, it will be too late, actually for him to come back, because if you look at the Act now, at some point we close the register, and once we close the register 21 days before primaries, submit the e-register to INEC. You can’t come from behind the door for us to register you and for you to contest,” Usman said.
The chairman noted that Obi had a role in drawing members to the party during the previous election cycle. “Even me, he convinced me to come with him to the Labour Party and not just me, many people that are in Labour Party today were convinced by Peter because we believed in equity and fairness,” she said.
Usman explained her departure from Nigeria’s Peoples Democratic Party, also known as the PDP, attributing it to the party’s decision not to zone its presidential ticket to the southern region. “We believed that PDP should have zoned the seat to the south, but since they left it open and said they were not zoning and they were trying to field a Northerner. We felt no, it’s not fair, though I’m a Northerner, but I felt it was not fair. That’s why I just left and quite a number of other people joined the Labour Party,” she added.
The party will focus on its initial ideologies of equal opportunity and social justice. “What I want Nigerians to expect henceforth is a new Labour Party that is going to be strictly based on the ideologies the party was built initially to represent… equal opportunity, social justice,” she said.
Usman identified Abia State Governor Alex Otti as the current representative of these principles. “And if you look at what the Abia Governor is doing, he’s strictly following those… Yes, Governor Alex Otti. He is what I would say is the ambassador of the Labour Party. He’s the only governor we have and he’s doing very well,” she said.
She directed a message to residents regarding political participation. “If you think you’re an activist, you have something to offer Nigeria, come contest elections… because you cannot change from outside,” she said.
