The Labour Party leadership has announced that its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has not yet shared the outcomes of his recent engagements with political allies in Abuja.
News About Nigeria reports that Obi had on Monday held a closed-door meeting with three chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party.
They include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, erstwhile Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
This is the former Anambra State governor’s first engagement with his former political allies after he defected from the PDP to LP in May 2022.
Recall that Obi in his resignation letter said recent developments within the party “makes it impossible for me to continue participating and making constructive contributions.”
Meanwhile, speaking in an interview with the Punch Newspaper, Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, however, said that he cannot openly confirm what was deliberated because Obi has not briefed him.
While stating that the party nurses no fear that the meetings could unsettle its camp, Abure stressed that Obi was free to mingle with associates and friends across party lines in the country.
He said, “You know it is difficult to confirm anything at this stage until we see the character and shade of the alliance. So I am still waiting for Obi to discuss it with me. But whatever is the case, we are fine. If it is an alliance that will lead to a better country, why won’t we back it?”
Abure further explained that Obi’s nature is to generally visit people, and his friends cut across party lines.
He recalled that Obi once visited Wole Soyinka too, and sees his meeting with Atiku as one of such visits, which may not necessarily have political undertones.
Asked to confirm if he would assent to any possible alliance between the PDP and LP ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Abure said it wasn’t his decision to make.
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 Nigerian general election, lost the election to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.
According to the official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu won the election with 8,794,726 votes, while Obi came second with 6,101,533 votes.
Obi and his party, however, disputed the results, alleging widespread rigging and electoral malpractices. They filed a petition with the Presidential Election Tribunal, seeking to overturn the results and declare Obi the winner.
The tribunal, however, ruled in favor of Tinubu, dismissing Obi’s petition and affirming Tinubu’s victory.
Obi and his party appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, which the court ruled in favour of Tinubu and the APC.
