The Labour Party has announced that its presidential ticket for the 2027 election is no longer reserved for Peter Obi, its former candidate.
Embattled National Chairman, Julius Abure made this declaration during a press briefing after the party’s National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja on Monday.
Abure stated, “NEC in session also reviewed the decision of the National Convention to reserve its Presidential and Governorship tickets for Peter Gregory Obi and Alex Otti, respectively. Consequently, all party tickets from the Presidency to the House of Assemblies are open to all qualified Nigerians.”
He also ruled out an automatic second-term ticket for Abia State Governor Alex Otti, saying the seat will be open to other aspirants.
Abure emphasized that Otti lacks the power to convene a stakeholders’ meeting that produced a caretaker committee led by former Senator Nenadi Usman.
Abure added, “The NEC in session noted that the Governor of Abia State, His Excellency Alex Otti, who convened the meeting, did not have the power within the Party’s Constitution… The meeting contravenes the provisions of Section 82 (1) (2) (a) of the Electoral Act 2022.”
Abure further asserted that no governor can harass them out of office, saying, “No governor that we gave ticket can harass us out of office; no governor, no matter how highly placed, will come and with a fiat, dissolve the NWC, dissolve state councils, or dissolve LG councils.”
He criticized the “illegal gathering” in Abia State, led by Peter Obi and Alex Otti, as a “betrayal of everything the Labour Party stands for.”
“Let me be clear: this action was not just illegal. It was a betrayal of everything the Labour Party stands for”, Abure concluded,
