The interim National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Nenadi Usman, on Wednesday, said Peter Obi will not be eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election on the party’s platform if he fails to meet membership requirements.
Usman, who made this remark in an interview on Arise TV, cited provisions of the Electoral Act regarding party registration timelines.
She said, “Well it will be too late actually for him to come back because if you look at the act now, at some point we close the register.”
“Once we close the register 21 days before primaries, submit the register, the e-register to INEC, you can’t come from behind the door for us to register you and for you to contest the elections. That would be impossible, legally impossible anyway.”
Usman acknowledged Obi’s role in the party’s performance in the 2023 general election, noting that he played a key role in attracting members to the LP.
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“Even me, he convinced me to come with him to the Labour Party. Convinced me and not just me, many people that are in the Labour Party today were convinced by, let’s join Peter, go to the Labour Party because we believed in equity and fair play,” she said.
Explaining her earlier defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Usman said it was driven by concerns over fairness in the party’s zoning arrangement.
“We believe that PDP should have zoned the seat to the south. But since they left it open and said there were no zoning and a northerner, they were trying to field a northerner, we felt no, it’s not fair. Though I’m a northerner, I felt it was not fair,” she added.
The Labour Party has been dealing with a prolonged leadership crisis since the 2023 elections, with rival factions laying claim to the party’s leadership.
The dispute involved the camp of former national chairman, Julius Abure, and the caretaker committee led by Usman.
Court rulings have since reshaped the party’s leadership structure. A Supreme Court decision in April 2025 held that Abure’s tenure had expired, while a Federal High Court in Abuja later directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Usman’s leadership pending a national convention.
The Court of Appeal also affirmed Usman as interim chairman, dismissing Abure’s challenge.
Despite the rulings, Abure has indicated plans to approach the Supreme Court, leaving the dispute unresolved.
The internal crisis has affected the party’s cohesion, resulting in defections, reduced representation in the National Assembly, and a weakened grassroots network.
Obi had earlier cited the lingering leadership issues as a factor in his exit from the party.
Usman’s faction has since commenced membership revalidation and announced that the party’s 2027 presidential ticket has been zoned to the south.
