The Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to its presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, to resign from the party following his endorsement of a new political coalition.
The ultimatum was contained in a statement on Thursday in Abuja and signed by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh.
According to Ifoh, the Labour Party under Abure’s leadership is strongly opposed to the coalition, which it dismissed as an alliance of “power mongers” with no genuine interest in the welfare of Nigerians.
“The often mouthed ‘new Nigeria is possible’ is a ruse and cannot be achieved with the assemblage of old, recycled, desperate, and frustrated politicians in the coalition,” Ifoh said.
“These are the same individuals who have mismanaged Nigeria for decades. Desperate politicians cannot birth a new Nigeria.”
He also accused Obi of holding secret meetings with some Labour Party members to lure them into the coalition. However, he claimed many had refused to defect.
“We are aware of several nocturnal meetings between Peter Obi and some of our members, lobbying them to join him in his new party,” Ifoh stated.
“Labour Party has consistently said it is not part of the coalition. Any of our members who aligns with the coalition has 48 hours to formally resign.”
The party further declared that it would not tolerate “dual allegiance,” saying, “Labour Party is not available for people with dual agenda or deceptive personas, those who claim Labour Party in the morning and coalition by evening.”
Ifoh emphasised that most Nigerian youths yearn for real change, not a rebranded version of the same old political order.
“Nearly 70 percent of Nigerians are youths who are tired of the old order—tired of gerontocrats deciding their fate. The new Nigeria that the youths dream of cannot be realised through this opportunistic coalition.”
He urged party members to remain loyal and preserve the party structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Meanwhile, Obi has backed the emerging coalition of opposition parties, which aims to unseat President Bola Tinubu-led government in 2027.
In a post shared via his official X handle, Obi stressed the need for collective action, stating that no single group can transform Nigeria alone.
“Yesterday, the coalition members formally adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 Nigeria General Elections, with Senator David Mark serving as National Chairman and H.E. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary,” Obi wrote.
“Our commitment is to work together towards the 2027 General Elections, ensuring that Nigeria gets competent, capable, and compassionate leadership.”
He added, “This decision was not made lightly. It stems from deep reflection on where we are as a country and what must be done to move forward.
“No one group can change Nigeria alone. To dismantle the structures that keep our people in poverty and insecurity, we must build bridges, not walls—even when those bridges are uneasy,” Obi said.
