AN IDNN INSIGHT :“Obi Has Our Blessing” vs “No Automatic Ticket” — Is Labour Party Imploding Ahead of 2027?
Byline: Frank.I.Alapa| IDNN Political Desk
In a matter of 24 hours, Nigeria’s Labour Party delivered two conflicting messages to the public—and both concerned the man at the center of its most significant political momentum: Peter Obi.
On one side, Obiora Ifoh, the National Publicity Secretary of the LP, categorically declared that there will be no automatic presidential ticket in 2027, and rebuked Obi’s participation in a pro-coalition gathering as “distasteful” and “unauthorized.”
Yet on the other side of the same platform, Ken Eluma Asogwa, the Senior Adviser to Senator Nenadi Usman, the party’s new National Chairman, affirmed Obi’s coalition role and called his involvement a “patriotic convergence” fully backed by the National Working Committee.
So, which is it?
Is the party in support of Peter Obi’s 2027 run—or tearing itself apart over it?
Two Factions, One Platform — The Battle for Party Control
At its core, this contradiction exposes the unresolved leadership crisis that has stalked the Labour Party since the Supreme Court ruling of April 2025 ousted Julius Abure and recognized that the 2019-elected NWC had expired.
Senator Nenadi Usman was installed as a transitional chairperson by the party’s NEC, with the backing of NLC, TUC, and Peter Obi himself. Yet Obiora Ifoh remains the public-facing voice for a section of the party’s structure that sees Obi’s coalition activities as rogue and presumptive.
“The party is open to all; there are no automatic tickets,” Ifoh asserted, effectively disavowing Obi’s claim to the crown.
But Asogwa’s rejoinder suggests that Obi is not only welcome—but endorsed as LP’s potential 2027 flagbearer if the coalition path fails.
So who speaks for the Labour Party?
The Real Issue Isn’t Obi—It’s the Constitution of Authority
Political observers argue that these contradictions aren’t just about Peter Obi—they’re about who holds the soul of the Labour Party heading into a pivotal general election cycle.
Is authority with the NEC-recognized Nenadi Usman and her NWC?
Or with the faction loyal to Abure-era appointees like Ifoh, still clinging to influence despite the Supreme Court judgment?
“When the public sees a party speaking in two voices, they assume it has no voice at all,” said an Abuja-based political analyst.
The risk isn’t just a loss of credibility. It’s internal sabotage.
If unresolved, Labour risks alienating not just Obi, but millions who rallied behind him in 2023 with the hope of building a third force.
A Party at War With Itself — Can Obi Survive the Fallout?
For Peter Obi, the bigger problem might not be APC or PDP—it might be the home base he’s struggling to command.
If LP continues to spiral into internal contradiction, Obi faces the risk of entering 2027 with a fractured platform, confused supporters, and legal uncertainty around the legitimacy of any primary outcome.
Already, voices within the party are whispering about a “Plan B” coalition platform that may emerge if Labour cannot unify behind one voice.
But what does it say of a party when its most viable candidate is unsure whether he is welcomed or watched?
FINAL THOUGHT
The Labour Party built its 2023 movement on the promise of transparency, people-driven politics, and a new national ethic. But today, it is at risk of becoming a cautionary tale—a party imploding not under the weight of opposition attacks, but from the silence of unresolved power struggles.
If 2027 must be rescued, the rescuers must first rescue themselves.
