Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi is the immediate past chairman of Labour Party in Edo State, a vocal politician of high repute, grassroots mobiliser and former IPAC boss, Edo State chapter. In this interview with OJIEVA EHIOSUN, he spoke on recent political developments in Nigeria, the 2027 general elections and defection of Peter Obi to Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Excerpts:

Labour Party from all indications seems to have gone into extinction, you hardly hear people talk about the party now. As former chairman, what is the current situation of Papa, Mama and Pikin Party as it’s foundly called by party faithful?

Well I find it difficult to agree with you that Labour Party is dead, Labour Party is not dead as a political party; it has also experienced the challenges that political parties are faced with.

Political parties in Nigeria would always have one internal crisis or the other but what is important is the ability to surmount these challenges. Today, you must be aware that congresses have been conducted at the ward, local and state levels.

State congress was held and Comrade Engr. Michael Oshofule, former president of NANS, was elected as chairman of the Labour Party in Edo State. You are also aware that a convention was conducted at Umuhia where Senator Nadu Usman was elected the new national chairman of the party. All of this is to ensure that we work thoroughly to ensure that the party is back fully.

Are you saying that Labour Party still carries the weight and popularity it’s known for?

I agree with you that we have had our fair share of challenges, but that does not mean that Labour Party is moribund, we are waxing stronger every day.

As it is now, are you still a card-carrying member of Labour Party or do you have any plans to dump it for the ruling party?

Absolutely. I am a card carrying member of Labour Party, I was dully elected as chairman of Labour Party in 2015, in Edo State, I have exhausted my tenure, and in the wisdom of the National Working Committee as at that time, our tenure was extended until Peter Obi came in June 2022.

And again the party, didn’t consider it expeditent to call for congresses as at that time, they were saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the party enthroned Peter Obi as president of this country.

We also remained in the office for that period and we conducted that 2023, election, and Peter Obi won by over 70% in Edo State. In that order I had one National Assembly, two House of Representatives and one State House of assembly. So I am saying therefore that Labour Party has not gone down as people are saying.

Would you describe the three persons that rose on the back of Obedient Movement to prominence in Edo State as ingrates or betrayers?

Well, I would not want to use the word betrayers. I think they were grossly unfair to Labour Party because they rode on the back of Labour Party and the Obedient Movement to achieve their feats, because they were persons that would ordinarily not win elections before they came to us.

It is the impetus of the party that propelled them to win. But sadly, they appear not to recognise that because as soon as Labour Party had issues with the elections, they jumped out of the party and went to APC. But all the same we wish them well. One thing is sure they were grossly unfair to the entire LP that made them.

Again, going back to Peter Obi, can he make the wave he made while he was in Labour Party now that he has moved to NDC?

I think what is happening to Obi, is the tradition of Nigerian politicians. It is the way our politics is played. As at today, there is no strong legislation to the effect that you cannot move from one political party to the other, Obi is simply doing that because he has the leverage to do so.

And since it’s the culture in this part of the world to do that, yes of course because what drives our politics in Nigeria most particularly is individual interest.

You may simply listen to them saying they have the interest of Nigerians in their mind. Well, we will continue to wish him the best. I think Obi is not left alone in this, he just followed the culture of political arrangement in Nigeria.

Are you saying that Nigerian politicians including yourself don’t have the interest of the masses at heart?

Look every Nigeria politician will take the same step. It is about personal interest. We haven’t got to that level of political practice were things are done differently.

Nigerians would always toe the same line of politics. In the last general elections, Obi’s movement was set to bring a drastic change, but we were rigged out and denied of our mandate. My prayers is that one day we would get it right.

Would you say Peter Obi left ADC to NDC, because of frustration?

Well am unable to see clearly, it is not frustration per say, because at the level it was, he was in a position to surmount the challenges and put the party in the position he wants. So leaving Labour Party to ADC and later NDC is in pursuance of personal interest.

Otherwise you have a party that helped you win election in several states in the country including FCT, and just because the party had some difficulties you could not manage them and the only solution was to leave the party? I didn’t see it as frustration. Though he have this very strong determination to pull Nigeria out of grip of the dictatorship

Do you think Peter Obi has what it takes to lead Nigeria out of the pathetic situation it finds itself if he eventually becomes president?

Well, capacities differ from person to person. I think there is general view of many of people that he possesses the capacity to do so much. I join them to say so.

Now former Vice President under Olusegun Obasanjo, Abubakar Atiku, has become a serial contestant; do you see him as someone that can deliver this country?

Well like I said earlier, I don’t like to talk on the capacity of somebody, because what you think is high capacity is not what the other man might think is.

Yes Atiku is high profile person, former vice president of our country, former governor of Adamawa State etc, so if you look at it from that angle, one may be influenced to believe that he has the capacity to do much.

But I can assure you that those capacities were not shown in his previous adventures. As a Vice President of this country, one would have expected that there will be so much on the ground. So to come up now to begin to talk about his capacity to do so much, some of are sceptical.

Must it be that until one becomes president that one can deliver to the people of the country? No. I think with the smallest position you hold in the society you should be able to use it well to deliver.

Would you say that Nigerians are happy with President Tinubu’s administration, are you happy with him and his policies?

Well, I think there has been no refrerandium conducted as to whether Nigerians are generally happy with President Bola Tinubu. Yes off course that is how it is. When you are in power there are some who are happy, there are some who are not happy.

So to that extent, we may not be able to agree or have a conclusion that Nigerians are happy with Tinubu because of the things you see in the media.

There are people in the country, there are people in his political party and they have not left him. If that fraction of Nigerians are happy with him, you can’t conclude that Nigerians are not happy with him.

Lastly, we hear that you will dump LP for APC, can you confirm the rumour?

Yes you have said it’s rumour. Rumours can be, we don’t have control over them, but all you can take home here is that I am in Labour Party as at the time you spoke to me.