The Labour Party factional chairman, Callistus Okafor, has revealed his group, which consists of “five million members”, has left the party.
Okafor announced this development at a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday. He said the decision to pull out was made after careful discussions with members of his faction, stressing that continuing within the Labour Party was no longer beneficial.
He stated, “My own faction, we met, and we said that this is the time. I hereby announce to Nigerians, based on the decision as a team in the Labour Party, the 5 million Nigerians who are under my control, hereby today pull out from LP to team WaZoBia Nigeria.”
Okafor described WaZoBia Nigeria as a non-partisan group and a movement. He promised to provide more details about this new organisation in the near future. His announcement suggests a significant shift in the political landscape as a major faction withdraws from the Labour Party.
According to Okafor, staying within the Labour Party had become unhealthy for his faction. He also criticised the party’s handling of internal relationships, especially referring to the former presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Okafor said, “Peter Obi, when he came to the party, he supported Abure, who has become his archenemy today.”
He further noted that if Peter Obi had reached out to him earlier, the Labour Party would have gone into the 2023 elections united. “If Peter Obi had called me, LP would have gone into that election (2023) with one mind. We know the outcome of the election,” he said.
