The Labour Party has announced that neither former presidential candidate Peter Obi nor any other aspirant will get automatic tickets for the 2027 general elections. Instead, all candidates must go through competitive primaries.

National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh stated that while the party is open to reconciliation with Obi and other stakeholders, it will not compromise its internal democratic processes.

He said, “We have answered this question several times. The Labour Party has constantly said that the issue of tickets will be determined at the party’s convention. The NEC has spoken concerning our presidential candidacy.

“Every candidate must emerge through a democratically convened convention. There is no automatic ticket for anyone, whether as presidential, gubernatorial or chairmanship aspirant.” He added that Obi had kept his distance from the current leadership for about a year. “We have said that Obi’s position in the Labour Party can only be answered by him. Nobody can speak for him. Whether he is in the ADC or Labour Party, he is the only one that can answer that question.

“The only thing that we know is that in the last one year, he has not really spoken with the current leadership. And we take it like that because not only him, so many other persons have also not done much,” he said. On why the recent NEC meeting did not address the Obi matter,

Ifoh stressed that the session was dedicated to kick-starting congresses and primaries.
‘The NEC meeting we had was to kick-start our congresses, which we have conducted successfully. It was extremely successful. Did you see some of our viral videos and pictures? But in Abia State, there was a court injunction, which we, as a party, upheld and obeyed.

“Everything is going on well with us. We have conducted primaries in Ekiti State. We will soon repeat the same in Osun, and INEC is working with us. The commission monitored everything. They gave us the key codes to upload our candidates. “So we don’t really have a problem. We are already moving, and we are hoping that by 2027, we will have achieved everything we ser to do,” he added.

Obi’s strained relationship with Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure stems from accusations of mismanagement of party funds and attempts to consolidate control without broader consultation. As internal factions challenged Abure’s leadership in court,

Obi distanced himself from party disputes, leading to his withdrawal from party activities by early 2024. The Labour Party’s statement follows the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which urged Obi to decide on joining its coalition for the 2027 elections.

While recognising his influence, the ADC insists it will not change its principles or zoning arrangements for him. Obi recently expressed concerns about instability within the ADC, though his media office later denied his participation in an interview.

Obi’s ally, Yunusa Tanko, called for the ADC to give him more time to consult before making a final decision about his political future.