The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has made it clear that only committed members of the party will be allowed to contest for any political position under the party’s banner going forward.
Speaking during the Labour Party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday, Obi addressed the issue of defections that occurred after the 2023 elections. He referred to certain politicians who were elected under the Labour Party but later abandoned it for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He said this would no longer be allowed in the future.
Obi noted that the party must now prioritize loyalty, structure, and ideology over convenience or political gain. According to him, it is time to ensure that only genuine, active, and fully registered members are selected as candidates.
“We want to build a party that will be fair, a party that will be just, a party that people can look at and say, ‘this is how this party is,’” Obi said during his address.
He further stated that the Labour Party plans to present competent and qualified individuals in the 2027 elections. These individuals must be party members who fully believe in the values and direction of the party, and not people simply using the platform to get elected.
Obi pointed out that the Labour Party had made mistakes in the past by allowing people who were not truly part of the party to contest under its name. According to him, those errors must be corrected before the next elections.
“So we want to be ready. We want to correct even mistakes we made in the past, because there were mistakes. So we need to correct it,” he noted.
Obi also praised those lawmakers who, despite political pressures, have remained loyal to the Labour Party. He stressed the importance of having members in the National Assembly who are aligned with the party’s principles and who will stand firm even when alone.
“Even if we go and fail, we’ll fail, but it is better to fail being right than you’re on the side of wrong. That is what we want, and we’re going to do that for Nigeria,” he concluded.
