ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Chairman of the Labour Party, Nenadi Usman, has said it would be too late for the party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to return and contest under its platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Usman stated this during an interview on Prime Time on Arise Television, citing electoral timelines and party procedures as key constraints.
“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 Independent National Electoral Commission. You can’t come from behind the door for us to register you and for you to contest,” she said.
Despite her position, Usman acknowledged Obi’s significant impact on the party during the last election, noting that his influence attracted many members, including herself.
“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.
READ ALSO:Abure Warns Nenadi Usman Against Dissolving Labour Party Executives
She explained that her decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party was driven by dissatisfaction with its zoning arrangement at the time.
“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.
On the party’s future direction, Usman said the Labour Party would return to its core ideals of social justice and equal opportunity, pointing to Alex Otti as a model.
“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.
“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 also called on Nigerians, including activists and unionists, to actively participate in politics rather than remain on the sidelines.
“If you think you’re an activist, you have something to offer Nigeria, come contest elections because you cannot change from outside,” she said.