Fresh fractures are emerging within the Labour Party (LP) as a key faction seeks to bar the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, from contesting in the 2027 elections. Despite Obi’s prominence during the 2023 race, which saw him secure over six million votes, the path to his potential 2027 bid appears uncertain due to internal party divisions.
Obi, who was backed by the popular Obidient Movement, caused a stir by challenging the longstanding dominance of the country’s two major political parties—All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—by securing a third-place finish. This marked a significant rise for LP on the national stage. However, recent political maneuvering within the party threatens to undermine this momentum.
Abayomi Arabambi, a factional National Publicity Secretary of the LP, stated in an interview on Channels Television that the party is ready to forge ahead into 2027 without Obi. According to Arabambi, the LP’s success in 2023 was largely attributed to widespread public discontent, particularly from the #EndSARS protests, and not to Obi’s personal influence. He further claimed that Obi had been too aligned with other political groups, including the PDP and ADC, to be considered a genuine member of the LP.
“We are going to do our 2027 without Peter Obi; he will not have our ticket,” Arabambi asserted. He added that if Obi truly believes he can secure seven million votes in 2027 on his own, he should publicly sever ties with the Labour Party.
Obi’s supporters have dismissed these remarks as unfounded. Yunusa Tanko, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, described Arabambi’s comments as baseless and far from the reality of the party’s unified objectives. Tanko stressed that such statements were nothing more than distractions.
“This is just a creation of his own imaginations,” Tanko remarked. Dapo Adaramewa, Obi’s media aide, also countered Arabambi’s claims, calling them “laughable” and “preposterous.”
Adaramewa refuted the assertion that the #EndSARS movement, rather than Obi, was responsible for the party’s 2023 surge. He also questioned Arabambi’s authority in determining who should represent the LP in the upcoming elections. “Honestly, I don’t know who Arabambi thinks he is to determine who will pick the LP ticket. Is it his ticket to give?” Adaramewa added.
Despite these internal tensions, Obi’s camp maintains that his popularity has grown significantly since the 2023 election. His strong stance against the current administration’s policies, particularly in light of Nigeria’s ongoing economic struggles, has only increased his public support.
“Peter Obi has become more popular now, thanks to the attempts by the APC government to attack and sideline him,” Adaramewa said. “Anybody who is taking a bet right now would bet on Peter Obi to win 2027.”
