Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, who announced his resignation from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday, announced on Friday that he’s joined the Labour Party.
Obi, who was a presidential candidate under the PDP quit the party a few days to the primary that will determine the Party’s presidential flag bearer, citing “issues that are at variance” with his “persona and principles.”
The former governor who has become popular, particularly among the youths due to his issue-based campaigns, said he has chosen the Labour Party as its values align with his aspirations and mantra of making Nigeria a productive nation.
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“I thank all Nigerians, especially our youths who have joined me in the mission of taking back and reuniting Nigeria. This project is yours and for the future of your children. I am just a facilitator.
“Since I resigned from the PDP because of issues that are at variance with my persona and principles, I have consulted widely with various parties and personalities to ensure we do not complicate the route to our desired destination.
“For me, the process of achieving our goal is as fundamental as what one will do thereafter.
“Therefore, I have chosen a route that I consider to be in line with our aspirations and my mantra of taking the country from consumption to production; and that is the Labour Party which is synonymous with the people, workers, development, production, securing and uniting Nigerians as one family. I invite all Nigerians to join me in taking back our country. Be assured that I’ll never let you down,” Obi said in a statement.
Obi’s resignation from the PDP is attributed to his view against the “money bag” system that rules the primaries, where aspirants win by buying party delegates. The system gives the ticket to the highest bidder not the most qualified.
Does Obi stand a chance with the Labour Party?
While there has been unwavering support for Obi, even after his resignation from the PDP and subsequent move to Labour Party, the question remains if he stands a chance without the backing of one of the two major political parties in Nigeria which has the structure needed to win.
The Labour Party was formed in 2022 by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), but has been unable to make strides in Nigeria’s politics, winning only a few offices: Segun Mimiko who became Ondo State governor after winning a court battle, and Segun Ogunwuyi, who became the party’s only member of the Nigerian National Assembly. The party has only won 1 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives while Mimiko remains the only governor to have emerged from the party.
Based on this pedigree, there is skepticism around Obi’s chances as a presidential candidate under the Labour Party, even though he has a throng of supporters. But following recent developments, which are believed to have exposed the rot in Nigerian political parties’ electoral process, this stirring indignation against the two major political parties, the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the PDP, many believe that Obi could disrupt the status quo.
Moreover, The National Consultative Front, the umbrella body of the ‘Third Force’ Movement and Political Alternatives to the PDP and APC, said on Sunday that it has adopted the Labour Party as the “third force’.
The NCFront said it has since commenced the fusion of its structures of over 20 million members and supporters nationwide into the Labour Party, urging Nigerians to join the movement.
“Consequently, our teeming members all over Nigeria and in Diaspora have been directed to register immediately as members of the Labour Party at all designated registration centres, both online and physically at the Ward Levels, to be able to take part in the ongoing electoral programmes of the Party for the 2023 elections,” the movement said.
With this new force behind the Labour Party, many believe that Obi will have a fighting chance at the polls if the election is free and fair.