…Top Party Insiders Cite Trust Deficit, Post-Crisis Fallout
By Franklin Adole
The Labour Party has zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, but strong indications have emerged that its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is not being considered for a return to fly the party’s flag.
This is despite the fact that Obi, a southerner, would ordinarily qualify under the party’s zoning arrangement.
After a meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other political stakeholders, the party’s interim National Chairman, Nenadi Usman, reaffirmed that the presidential ticket has been exclusively reserved for the South, ruling out any aspirant from the northern part of the country.
However, multiple high-level sources within the party told KTH Daily that Obi is “not on the cards,” citing lingering resentment over his role during the party’s protracted leadership crisis.
According to a senior party source, the leadership remains “deeply uncomfortable” with Obi’s conduct at a critical time when the party was battling for cohesion and survival.
“There is still a lot of bitterness,” the source said. “He vacillated between the Abure and Nenadi factions and only took a clear stand after the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruling that affirmed Nenadi Usman. That created a trust deficit.”
The internal crisis, which split the party between camps loyal to Julius Abure and Nenadi Usman, significantly weakened Labour’s post-2023 electoral momentum and triggered a series of legal and political confrontations.
Party insiders further allege that Obi played a controversial role in the events leading up to the disputed Nnewi convention, widely regarded as the epicentre of the crisis. He was said to have initially backed the Abure-led process before withdrawing support at the last minute, a move that exacerbated tensions and uncertainty within the party.
Although Obi has since gravitated towards the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party figures suggest there is little appetite for his return, regardless of zoning considerations.
Speaking after the INEC meeting, Nenadi Usman insisted the party would not court or pressure any individual to run on its platform, emphasising that aspirants must come forward on their own.
“We cannot go out begging people to contest on the platform of the Labour Party. It is for those who are interested to come,” she said.
She maintained that while the party has firmly zoned its presidential ticket to the South, the eventual candidate would emerge through an open and democratic primary process.
Observers note that while zoning technically keeps the race within Obi’s geographical reach, the political reality within the party points in a different direction…one shaped by mistrust, unresolved grievances, and a determination by the current leadership to move on from past internal upheavals.
For now, the Labour Party appears set on charting a new course, without its most prominent political figure.