The Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Dr George Moghalu, has called on the Church to partner with him in what he describes as a collective effort to rebuild the state and restore its lost glory.
Speaking at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Amaenyi, Methodist Church, Diocese of Awka, Moghalu said the Church remained a vital partner in shaping moral leadership and promoting people-oriented governance.
He lamented that Anambra, once known for enterprise and educational excellence, had experienced decline due to insecurity and lack of visionary leadership.
“Our state has not attracted foreign investment because no investor will put money in an unsafe environment.
The educational system has collapsed, agriculture has been neglected, and the government has not invested adequately in that critical sector.
Anambra deserves better; our people deserve leadership that truly serves,” Moghalu said.
The LP candidate drew comparisons with neighbouring Abia State, commending Governor Alex Otti for what he described as bold reforms and people-focused leadership.
“In just two years, Governor Otti has demonstrated what vision and integrity can achieve through infrastructural renewal, fiscal discipline, and restored public confidence.
That is the kind of leadership Anambra needs,” he stated.
Reaffirming his faith, Moghalu said his ambition was guided by divine conviction and a commitment to serve.
“I come before you believing that power belongs to God and He gives it to whomever He wills.
I ask for your prayers, faith, and partnership. With God on our side, we will build a new Anambra founded on justice, productivity, and hope.
This state has everything it takes to prosper; all we need is the right leadership to unlock its greatness,” he added.
The Julius Abure-led Labour Party (LP) faction protested yesterday at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja over the exclusion of its candidates from the August 16 bye-election list.
The protesters, accompanied by some civil society organisations, opposed the non-inclusion of the names of LP candidates for the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and by-elections fixed for about 12 states.
They bore placards, some of which read: “Stop killing democracy in Nigeria,” “INEC should respect the rule of law,” “INEC should not kill the greatest opposition party in Nigeria,” “Supreme Court judgment favours Julius Abure,” and “Caretaker committee is not a political party.”
Others read: “INEC, who is using you against LP?” “Mahmood, stop destroying democracy in Nigeria”, “Tell INEC to obey court orders,” among others.
The protesters stormed the INEC headquarters after another faction of the LP, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, dissociated itself from the protest, saying they were unknown to the party.
Deputy National Youth Leader of LP, Dr Barry Avotu-Johnson, asked INEC to obey the Supreme Court judgment, which he said recognised Abure as the chairman of the party, but which the Usman faction also relies on.
He said: “We are also demanding that INEC upload the names of our validly nominated candidates for the forthcoming bye-elections.”
National Commissioner, Prof. Baba Gbila, who received the protesters, assured them that their complaints would be looked into.
INEC spokesman, Rotimi Oyekunmi, told our reporter that the commission would not comment on the exclusion claim because the matter was sub-judice.
The protesters, including the candidates, came in many buses at 11 am despite the rain.
LP has no candidate in Edo by-election, says INEC
Also yesterday, INEC said that LP did not field any candidates for next week’s by-election in Edo State to fill vacant positions in the National Assembly.
It said nine political parties will slug it out to fill the vacant Edo Central Senatorial District and Ovia Federal Constituency seats.
Both seats became vacant following the election of Senator Monday Okpebholo and Dennis Idahosa as Governor and Deputy Governor.
Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha, said the parties that fielded candidates are the Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and All Progressives Congress (APC) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
Others are Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The LP had announced Paul Okojie as its candidate for Edo Central, but Prof Onuoha said the party did not notify INEC of its intention to participate in the election.
“From our records, LP and others didn’t invite us to their primaries.
“Some others invited us, but we got there, and their doors were locked. We could not find anyone,” he stated.
Prof. Onuoha, who spoke at a press briefing in Benin City, assured that the commission was prepared to conduct a transparent and hitch-free election.
He said the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) has been configured, while non-sensitive materials have been deployed.
The Edo INEC REC said 101,617 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) in the areas scheduled for the election were yet to be collected.
He said: “There are 719,504 registered voters in the seven local governments where the by-election will be held, with 101,617 voter cards yet to be collected.”
Dismissing PDP’s calls for his redeployment, Onouha called on the media’s support towards a free, fair and credible election.
“Even if you bring your brother to INEC, he can’t compromise elections because of the way the commission is structured,” he said.
Labour Party (LP) in Anambra State has raised the alarm over what it described as unlawful arrest and detention of its Chairman in Njikoka Local Government, Charles Nwazojie, on the orders of suspected operatives of Agunechemba security outfit.
The party, through Moghalu Campaign Organisation, said Nwazojie’s “offence” was encouraging citizens to collect their permanent voter cards and mobilising support for Dr. George Moghalu ahead of November election.
A statement signed by Onyebuchi Okoye, Special Assistant on Media to Moghalu, described the incident as brazen act of political intimidation.
The party called on the Commissioner of Police (CP) to intervene by ordering immediate and unconditional release of the council boss.
It also demanded investigation to ensure the security outfit was not being converted into a political tool.
The party urged civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, political stakeholders and international community to condemn the “creeping tyranny”.
The party’s Youth Leader, Comrade Ekene Nnadi, has appealed to the CP to caution his men, adding that other state sponsored security outfits should refuse to be willing tools in the hands of government to intimate, harass or oppress the opposition.
He cautioned Abagana Divisional Police Officer (DPO) against the move, insisting that the party would not tolerate such unlawful arrest henceforth.
The statement said: “For fulfilling this basic civic duty, he was arrested, taken to Abagana Police Station, and unjustly detained, reportedly on the orders of operatives associated with the Agunechemba (Udo Ga Chi) security outfit.
“It is important to state clearly that the Labour Party paid the exorbitant sum of N50 million to Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ANSAA) to meet campaign publicity requirements.
“Therefore, there is no legal or moral basis for Nwazojie’s arrest and detention unless the true motive is to intimidate supporters and silence opposition through a state-sponsored outfit.
“This brazen act of political intimidation is not only shameful; it represents a dangerous slide into lawlessness and a calculated assault on democratic principles.”
More than two years after the conduct of the February 2023 presidential election, the opposition Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria is still brooding over what it called the far – reaching consequences of the mistake of fielding Peter Obi as its presidential candidate.
Labour Party said the decision to give Obi its presidential ticket instead of the best qualified Fadure Oluwadare Joseph – a professional nurse, whom it described as a “man of unimpeachable credentials and visionary leadership,” was a blunder with lasting consequences.
The National Publicity Secretary of LP, Abayomi Arabambi, made this known on Friday evening in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Arabambi said that the 2023 presidential election was a stark revelation of what happens when political expediency takes over principle, stressing that at the heart of the tragedy lies the LP’s miscalculation by sidelining Faduri Oluwadare Joseph to pave way for the emergence of Peter Obi as its presidential candidate.
Describing it as something “more than a simple error of judgment,” Arabambi said the choice of Obi was a fundamental betrayal of Nigeria’s yearning for genuine transformation at the time through LP platform, regretting that instead of a leader with depth, discipline, and a demonstrable blueprint for national renewal, the party put forward to Nigerians a populist (Obi) whose greatest skill is telling people what they want to hear.
He assured that as 2027 general elections gradually draw closer, the party will not repeat the same error, emphasizing that Nigeria needs leaders like Fadure Oluwadare Joseph—men and women who understand that governance is not about sloganeering, but about substance, sacrifice, and systemic change.
Arabambi said: “Perhaps the most damning indictment of Obi’s candidacy is his ethnic polarisation that shadowed his campaign. While Faduri stood as a truly national figure, with support cutting across regions, Obi’s movement, intentionally or not, became a vehicle for tribal sentiment.
“His refusal to firmly denounce Kanu’s secessionist rhetoric, his selective outrage over insecurity, and his tendency to frame national issues through a partisan lens exposed a troubling parochialism beneath his “unifier” facade.
“Nigeria does not need a president who excuses extremism for political convenience. It needs a leader who will uphold the rule of law while addressing legitimate grievances, something Faduri embodied, which Obi lacks.”
Former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has hinted that he will not be part of any emerging opposition coalition aimed at challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Instead, he has declared his intention to once again seek the presidency on the platform of the LP.
In a video circulating on the party’s WhatsApp platform and recorded by a television station, Obi was seen to be addressing a group of young supporters, assuring them of his continued political commitment through the Labour Party.
The former Anambra State governor also suggested that the internal crises currently affecting both the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are being fueled by external interference from the federal government.
He described these divisions as deliberate tactics aimed at weakening the opposition ahead of the next general election.
Responding to a question on which platform he intended to contest the 2027 elections, Obi said, “I will still continue to run in the Labour Party. I’m a member of the Labour Party.”
Answering another question from a youth who was apparently disturbed about what appears to be Obi’s indifference towards the LP’s crisis, Obi said, “What is happening in the Labour Party and the PDP is caused by the government. Quote me anywhere.
“We had a problem in our party before, in the past, (Umaru) Yar’Adua was the president. I went to him then. He called the (then) INEC Chairman Prof. Maurice Iwu and told him I don’t want any problem in any party. We were forced to fix it.
“But today, in all the parties, there are problems. These are deliberate problems caused by the system. These are some of the things I want to clean up if I have the opportunity. Parties will function very well because you can’t have a system working without a strong opposition.”
He urged Nigerians to take responsibility for ensuring that their votes count, because even if agents are paid by political parties to look after their interests, the ultimate decision about the people’s votes counting rests with voters.
He also urged Nigerian youths and the electorate not to be discouraged because positive change will also be resisted by those who are beneficiaries of the old order.
The former Anambra State governor said that, left to him, there should be a retirement age for politicians seeking public office.
He said by the time the 2027 election holds, he would be 65 years old, and that he would not want to be contesting for elections in his 70s.
Obi’s comments come amid reports of a potential opposition coalition involving political figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and others.
The proposed coalition was allegedly leaning toward adopting the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform for 2027 elections.
Meanwhile, a North-Central Region of Nigeria Supporters for Peter Obi, has categorically told the Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, to reject the purported vice presidential slot offer by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 polls.
Its Chairman, Bitrus Samuel and Secretary Murtala Ndagi, in a statement, raised ethical and political concerns about such an alliance, describing it “as a threat to Obi’s credibility” and the movement for a new Nigeria.
They expressed deep unease over the implications of Obi partnering with Atiku, particularly in light of his political inconsistency in switching political parties.
Samuel said: “The North-Central region of Nigeria supporters for Mr. Peter Obi Group, feel compelled to address a matter of significant urgency and concern regarding the future of our nation and the political integrity of a leader we believe in.
“As the political landscape in Nigeria continues to evolve, we wish to caution Mr. Obi against accepting the offer of a vice-presidential role in a proposed joint single-term ticket with Atiku Abubakar.
“Mr. Obi, your unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and the upliftment of the Nigerian populace stands in stark contrast to the allegations and controversies surrounding Mr. Abubakar.
“Integrity is paramount in a nation striving for reform and renewal. Your supporters view your integrity as a beacon of hope in a political landscape often characterized by greed and betrayal.
“Moreover, the implications of such an alliance extend beyond personal reputation. It is essential to consider the potential fallout among your supporters, particularly in the North-Central region, where trust in political leaders has been severely eroded by years of mismanagement and corruption.
“Many of us have placed our faith in you as a leader who embodies the values of honesty and accountability. Accepting a vice-presidential role under Atiku’s banner could alienate your base, leaving us disillusioned and disheartened.
“The relationship between Atiku Abubakar and the United States further complicates matters.
“The perception of a leader with such a checkered past could have dire consequences for our collective security and stability.
“As supporters, we have witnessed the devastating impact of corruption on our communities. We have seen how it perpetuates poverty, stifles economic growth, and erodes the fabric of our society.
“We cannot, in good conscience, support a ticket that may inadvertently endorse a legacy of corruption and mismanagement.
“Our collective aspiration for a new Nigeria, one built on the tenets of good governance, must not be compromised.
“We urge Mr. Obi to reflect on the long-term implications of this potential alliance. While the allure of power and political expediency may tempt him to accept the vice-presidential offer, we implore him to consider the broader picture.
“The path to true leadership is often fraught with difficult decisions, and it is essential to remain steadfast in the commitment to the principles that have guided him thus far.”
He concluded by reiterated their continued support for Obi as a symbol of hope, reform, and clean governance, urging him to remain true to the ideals that galvanized the Obidient Movement nationwide.
“We stand united in our quest for a better Nigeria, and we hope that Mr. Obi will choose a path that upholds the values we hold dear.”
It Is Laughable. The suggestion, that is, for a team to shadow the activities of the government. And as the Yoruba wise-saying goes, you laugh over something that is beyond weeping for. Coming from Patrick Utomi, that of the Patito’s Gang fame that used to pontificate on air, who you think should know better, the suggestion, to say the least, is ludicrous.
A shadow cabinet, government or team or by whatever name or guise he styles it, is the least of the nation’s problems now, with its avalanche of opposition parties. For another, a ‘shadow team’ is alien to a presidential system of government like ours. We run a presidential, and not a semi-presidential, or parliamentary system of government, with all executive powers residing in the President. The system recognises the opposition, but not as a shadow government in the sense that Utomi is proposing.
Utomi wants his shadow team to be the face of the new opposition in the light of the failure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) to which he once belonged, and others to effectively play that role. The opposition including the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on which platform some people are planning to coalesce to wrest power in 2027 is crumbling like a pack of cards. Having seen the handwriting on the wall, the smooth talking Pat is creeping out of the sinking boat and beating a new path to political relevance.
He says he is not looking for an appointment, but is embarking on this journey in the national interest. As usual, he regales his audience with how he joined government at an early age to serve in the administration of former President Shehu Shagari in the second republic as a result of his brilliance. The same brilliance that earned him the jobs of chief executive of the moribund Volkswagen of Nigeria and the chair of the liquidated BankPhB which former MD is now marking time in jail for theft and fraud.
No doubt, Utomi is brilliant. No one becomes a professor, the highest academic honour which can only be earned, without being smart and intellectually sound. This is why many, including some professors like him, are wondering why on earth he is pushing for a shadow team. This is no television debate where he and his gang just threw fanciful arguments on democracy, economy and governance about.
There is a limit to which theories can be pushed and propounded. We cannot keep on theorising when there is an urgent work to be done. Is his proposed shadow team the answer to whatever he thinks are the ills of the country? Utomi like every Nigerian has the right to hold views and express them the way he likes, but he cannot do so in breach of the Constitution. The 1999 Constitution talks about a presidential lsystem, with the executive, legislature and judiciary as equal partners.
The executive functions are subject to the scrutiny of the legislature with the judiciary as the arbiter of disputes within the system. This principle of check-and-balance is what makes the system tick. In this system, there is no room for shadow government. It can only be in the imagination of manipulators who think they can use their academic and media reach to upturn what is already constitutionally provided for.
Nigerians know better. They know when certain people want to manipulate the system for selfish reasons, citing public goodwill. What public goodwill is that when Utomi is coming from a place of bias and partisanship. He stepped down for LP’s Peter Obi for the party’s presidential ticket in the 2023 elections.
How then can such a tainted figure call for a shadow team and expect to be taking seriously? Beyond his call being unconstitutional, what is the shadow team going to do that he, Obi, Atiku Abubakar, and their co-travellers are not already doing? Have they not been talking and criticising the government? Why then does Utomi require a shadow team to do that? What is the difference between what he is doing now and what the shadow team will do?
Hear him on this amorphous shadow team: “It will be a group of people that will meet at intervals…say like two weeks. Each shadow team with a watch on an aspect of government will go in there and ferret out information, make it public and seek a second opinion. The Constitution guarantees this. It does not say there will be a shadow government or not. Shadow government is just a nomenclature.”
“Ferret out” information. What if the ‘shadow teamers’ are caught in the process?’ Does Utomi remember the Watergate scandal under former America’s President Richard Nixon? We are not saying that citizens should not hold the government accountable, what we are saying is that they should do so within the ambit of the law, as guaranteed under Section 22 of the Constitution, which says:
The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold… the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.
Utomi’s proposal is offensive to the Constitution. He wants to, through his proposed shadow team, usurp the oversight functions of the legislature which is empowered to scrutinise the executive. It cannot arrogate that power to any shadow team because in his word: “shadow government is just a nomenclature”. It is not a mere nomenclature. It is the recognised title of the opposition in a parliamentary system like what Britain operates.
To call shadow government just a nomenclature is Utomi’s way of hiding the illegal act he is trying to perpetrate with a name that is politically and democratically recognised under the parliamentary system. It will not work. Right-thinking Nigerians can see through his gimmick. It is not too late for him to retrace his steps from this shadow chasing shadow cabinet. Or is he thinking of a shadow government under the conspiracy theory of individuals lording it over elected leaders? The professor of political economist should know the consequences of that.
The Labour Party (LP) inaugurated the Lagos State Caretaker Executive Committee on Friday evening.
At the inauguration, the leader of the Labour Party Caucus in the House of Representatives, Afam Ogene, dismissed concerns that the party is losing ground due to recent defections to rival parties.
“It’s not everybody who is defecting to the ruling party,” Ogene stated. “Just two days ago, two members from Enugu left for the PDP. But that’s the nature of politics in Nigeria. By the time party primaries begin early next year, there will be what scientists call reverse osmosis, and people will return.”
Ogene, who also serves on the party’s National Caretaker Committee, said the party is focused on restoring internal democracy and revamping its structures from ward to state levels.
Ogene attributed the stagnation of the party’s operations in key states like Lagos to the leadership style of former national chairman Julius Abure, whose tenure was marred by constitutional violations.
“For four or five years, there were no congresses in Lagos. Abure just kept renewing tenures arbitrarily. But with the coming local government elections, we’ve decided to start rebuilding from Lagos, and this will extend nationwide.”
He asserted that the party’s leadership crisis has been conclusively resolved by the Supreme Court, which affirmed the end of Abure’s tenure and cleared the path for internal reforms.
“There is no leadership tussle that I know of. The Supreme Court ruled clearly. People are free to gather and call themselves a faction, but we’re moving on,” Ogene said confidently. “In politics, 24 hours is a long time. By early next year, the landscape will change. Mark my words.”
One of the most picturesque idioms in English is the soot-buried pot calling a kettle black. That aptly captures the latest anti-People’s Democratic Party (PDP) tirade from the Labour Party (LP) camp.
In a ringing indictment, Abayomi Arabambi, the LP national publicity secretary, told PDP, on account of its perpetual internal feuding, to forget fielding any presidential candidate for 2027, but instead put its forces — no matter how ramshackle? — behind LP’s Peter Obi.
But what makes Arabambi think the ever-shifty, ever-fluffy Obi would still be in LP by 2027?
Arabambi’s utmost put down of PDP was rather interesting, though: unfit to contest power, let alone govern effectively! But isn’t that too apt, in describing LP, given the fierce battle for its soul — by Labour ideologues and fair-weather fortune captors — aside its elected lawmakers bailing out to join other parties?
Why, didn’t LP’s sole governor, Abia’s Alex Otti, too junk LP to give his anointed candidates Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) tickets for the Abia local council polls, at the zenith of Abia LP’s schizophrenia? In that tiff, Governor Otti supported — and still supports — a protem national executive, just brushed aside by the Court of Appeal, which endorses Julius Abure’s LP executive is the authentic one.
And talking about fakes and originals: when did Arabambi himself morph from an Obi antagonist to Obi loyalist? When did he abandon the Lamidi Apapa faction that fought the Abure faction to a standstill, during the legal fireworks challenging President Bola Tinubu’s election? Well, that provocative question only stresses fluid alliances in a torn LP. The Apapa-Abure factions re-hugged each other in June 2024.
Where the hell is Obiora Ifoh, who was taking on all-comers for both Obi and Abure during that phase; and put his talents fully at Abure’s disposal, when NLC zealots tried to “reclaim” the party, and the hee-hawing Obi was caught in-between?
Politics! Interesting times!
Arabambi is of course not far off from his reading of PDP. Particularly devastating was his take that PDP should face own demons rather than blame the ruling APC for its self-imposed mess — Abubakar Atiku’s insensitive desperation to contest the presidency, after another northerner, President Muhammadu Buhari, had just finished eight years.
Besides, PDP should enjoy its current karmic thrashing. When it was in power, it fragrantly subverted the opposition parties!
Still, LP should realize that by pointing a lone finger to flail PDP, its four other fingers self-condemns it for own internal bedlam. A towering symbol of that is Arabambi himself. LP needs to put its house in order as much as PDP.
Chieftains of the Labour Party (LP) in recent times have been shifting allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Assistant Editor EMMANUEL BADEJO examines the pace at which the party is shrinking and its implications for the opposition party.
This is not the best of times for the Labour Party (LP), as unresolved intra-party crises have continued to take a toll on the political family that showed impressive performance during the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Since its inception, the LP has struggled, like many others, to challenge the dominance of the APC and PDP, which have consistently secured the majority of seats in the National Assembly.
The last general election was a landmark as the party made inroads, having one governor in Abia and legislators at both the National and State Assemblies.
While the party had produced a governor in the past, the current dispensation was its first time to gain access into the hallowed chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Leaders and members of the party had boasted to build on the gains it recorded by putting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government on its toes.
However, the reverse is the case, as the party has been going through series of political upheavals, making it to fail in its opposition claim and therefore at disadvantaged to contest for political power.
Experts said the rate at which it loses its members to other political parties, calls for concern.
They said that it is becoming clearer that many of the candidates that contested election on LP’s ticket last year did that to win election. They didn’t intend to build the party.
These politicians, they added, rose on the stardom of former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the party, Mr. Peter Obi.
Millions of Nigerian youths had bought into Obi’s candidature. They used the advantage of the social media to launder his image and the LP.
His candidature became a signature on the nation’s political landscape that wooed millions of young voters.
Known as Obidients, they expressed confidence in Obi, even after the Supreme Court decided his election petition case in favour of President Tinubu, then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Though some of the party faithful criticized their lordships for the judgment, they had promised to play a strong opposition to the APC-led government.
However, from the developments in the party, there is no gainsaying that the promised posture of a virile opposition is becoming a façade.
Certainly, this would have left some LP’s loyalists disappointed.
The party, instead of experiencing addition, has been going through political hemorrhage, thus, becoming weaker and weaker by the day.
In recent times, news of political cross-carpeting of LP’s chieftains filled the air.
The party has lost to a senator, members of the House of Representatives, lawmakers in a state, notable candidate in the 2023 governorship election, and other gladiators.
The change of political family of these LP’s chieftains has further exposed the party’s weaknesses.
Unconfirmed reports said that it is not unlikely that more of its representatives at the National Assembly are already at the verge of decamping, too.
It is public knowledge that Labour Party is rattled with the decamping of its representatives at the National Assembly.
The defectors are Ajang Iliya, who represents Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency in Plateau State, announced his defection to the APC, becoming the sixth LP lawmaker to leave the party. Other defectors include Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo), and Daulyop Fom (Plateau).
The former Labour Party lawmakers cited division within their party as the main reason for their defection.
Also, Michael Ayuba Auta, the party’s senatorial candidate for Southern Kaduna in the 2023 general elections on Monday officially defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Auta, who was instrumental in the Labour Party’s performance during the 2023 elections, vowed to mobilize one million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani in the 2027 elections.
Speaking at his defection ceremony in his Fai ward, Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Monday, Auta stated that his decision to join the APC was driven by prevailing political realities and the overwhelming demand from his supporters.
Recalling his political strength, he reminded his supporters of his ability to mobilize grassroots support, citing his role in securing 294,000 votes for Peter Obi in 2023 without government backing.
“If I could achieve that as an opposition figure, imagine what we will do in 2027. I guarantee one million votes for President Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani. The APC no longer has a problem in Southern Kaduna,” he declared.
Similarly, its governorship candidate in the last election in Bayelsa State, Udengs Eradiri, and his running mate, Commodore Benjamin Nathus (retd) had announced their resignations from the party.
It was gathered that most of the local government chairmanship candidate of the party in Bayelsa joined Eradiri and Nathus to dump the party.
To Ediri, the division within the leadership of the party led to his decision and opportunity to seek for a better platform.
“But unfortunately, we couldn’t scale through the intrigues and challenges implanted in the party leadership”, he said.
Nathus said the move was borne out of his decision to seek a platform committed to a leadership that would propel Bayelsa towards a brighter and more prosperous future.
He said: “I am profoundly grateful for the support and camaraderie of the party members who have shared in our vision for a thriving Bayelsa and graciously provided me the opportunity to serve as a deputy governorship candidate. The journey has been enriched with invaluable experiences and insights”.
But the duo and their loyalists were yet to declare allegiance for any political party as at press time.
Six months ago, Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi, senator representing Imo East and a member of the LP had defected to the APC.
Also, in March 2024, six members of the Enugu State House of Assembly under the platform of the LP defected to the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The defected lawmakers include Ejike Eze (Igbo-Eze North 1), Johnson Ugwu (Enugu North), Princess Ugwu (Enugu South Rural), Pius Ezeugwu (Nsukka West), Amuka Williams (Igbo-Etiti East) and Osita Eze (Oji River).
The lawmakers attributed their defections to the “existence of irreconcilable division, an ongoing crisis within the Labour Party at the national level, and across all the state chapters.
“Regrettably, the party has evolved into a state of perpetual discord with various factions embroiled in legal battles, thereby undermining its ability to effectively serve the interest of the people.”
They noted that the LP “once a beacon of hope for progressive ideas” has “regrettably become synonymous with internal squabbles, thereby reducing its capacity to fulfill the aspirations of electorates.”
Grapevine sources hinted that some of the political gladiators in the party including Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, five Senators and 30 House of Representatives will still shift allegiance to other political parties ahead 2027 general elections draw nearer.
Hon. Chike Amadichi, the Diaspora Chairman of the Labour Party, few days ago announced his resignation from the party, citing personal reasons and a commitment to contribute to Nigeria’s leadership under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Amadichi revealed his decision upon returning to Nigeria from London, declaring his readiness to join the APC.
‘Obidient’ denies Obi
In an interview with a national television, Donu Kogbara expressed her disenchantment with the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, whom she once supported.
She admitted to no longer aligning with the “Obidient” movement, citing Obi’s lack of visible political aggression and a failure to act as a formidable opposition voice.
“I’m not an Obidient anymore, to be honest with you, because he (Obi) is such a disappointment. I mean there’s no aggression, the government is lousy and I mean the only good thing that I think Tinubu has done is keep herdsmen at bay because I’ve noticed there haven’t been any herdsmen shenanigans since Tinubu came in.
Notwithstanding, the National chairman the party, Julius Abure, said the party was prepared to provide a “virile, vibrant and strong opposition” to deepen Nigeria’s democratic governance.
Abure, who gave the assurance recently when he received the “Award of Honour and Character” conferred on him by Chief Omonhinwin Aiyebeni in Lagos, said it would spur him to work harder and offer valuable services to the Labour Party and Nigerians.
“This again has entrusted on us that onerous responsibility to be the voice of the people to provide a verile resounding vibrant opposition.
“The late Obafemi Awolowo has said the soul of democracy is a vibrant and strong opposition.
“The national leader of the party Mr. Peter Obi has said the Labour Party will play that role of opposition and indeed the party will continue to play that role.
“I must state here clearly that all the progressive forces within the party and the nation must come together to fight the political oligarchy in Nigeria.
“Today, the country is not working and we need every progressive force to be able to come together, join forces together in order to redesign and reshape the economy and politics, so that our human and natural resources can all be harnessed together for the well- being of the country.
“Nigeria has what it takes to be a very great nation, in terms of its human and natural resources. But leadership has been a major challenge of the country.’’
Stakeholders are now expressing concern over LP’s misfortune, wondering how the party will stand by 2027 when another general election will be held.
No Division in our party, says Ifoh
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiorah Ifoh, has maintained that there was no division within the opposition party.
Ifoh stated this amidst reports that two senators elected on the party’s platform are set to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Ifoh said the party was determined to retrieve, through constitutional means, its mandate from those who used its platform to secure seats at the National Assembly but have since jumped ship.
While he confirmed moves by certain senators to also defect to the APC, Ifoh said the national leadership of the party was watching the development and would resist it, using relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution. He said: “After the general election, Labour Party won eight seats in the Senate and 35 seats in the House of Representatives. We, however, lost a senatorial seat through the courts.
“Though a proviso in the constitution stated that the lawmakers can change party where the party in which such one is elected has a crisis. However, the Labour Party has no crisis presently. “The current leadership has been affirmed by the courts as valid and legitimate. Though a few of our leaders made attempt to infuse crisis but that was nipped with the help of the court.
“We have, however, challenged the defections in the court, asking that the members that defected should drop the mandate and vacate their seats as well as return all illegally received allowances and emoluments. As regards whether some senators will leave, the party is aware of pressures from the other parties to woo them. It is not impossible that one or two may succumb. “But many of them have vowed their loyalty to the party leadership and we believe that common sense will prevail, particularly now that the party has clearly wriggled itself from the earlier hiccups. But for those who may wish to decamp, we will ensure that the provision of the constitution applies.”
Another Labour Party (LP) member of the House of Representatives, Daniel Chollom, yesterday defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Chollom, who is representing Barkin Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency in Plateau State, said the leadership crisis and the need to work with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to develop the country propelled him to take the action.
But Deputy Minority Whip George Ozodinobi described the action of the defectors from LP as lacking in ideology and that their seats should be declared vacant.
In his letter of defection read at plenary by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Chollom said due to the crisis in the Labour Party, he had not been able to identify which faction to associate with, a development he said affected effective representation.
The lawmaker said he had reflected on LP’s leadership crisis and came to the conclusion that he would better serve the interest of his people within the APC.
Expressing appreciation to the Labour Party for offering him the platform to contest and be elected to the House, Chollom said he was joining the APC to team up with the President to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
Reacting to the lawmaker’s defection, Minority Leader Kingsley China said Chollom had failed to first resign his party membership from his ward and present evidence of such resignation to the House before his letter would be read.
Chinda said the House should not be putting the cart before the horse, stressing that members should first do the right thing before their letters of defections are read.
According to him, in the alternative, the seat of a defecting lawmaker should be declared vacant.
Deputy Minority Whip George Ozodinobi said the rate of defection from the Labour Party to the APC was disturbing, maintaining that there was no leadership crisis in the party.
He said the defector used the LP to deny the House the service of some quality lawmakers and still failed to stay in the party for more than seven months.
Ozodinobi said: “Those defecting are people without an ideology. I am worried by the rate of defection when there is no crisis in the Lanour Party. I am very sorry for these members and I am very sorry for the APC because you will not earn their trust.
“I want to say that his seat must be declared vacant, and we will do everything possible to ensure that is done.”
