The Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) have offered reactions to activist Deji Adeyanju’s appeal for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to exit partisan politics, saying that every politician harbours ambitions he wants to realise.
Adeyanju urged Atiku to withdraw from politics in his New Year message, attributing the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the last presidential election to the “G5 greed” of Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Nyesome Wike. He suggested that Atiku has played his part and should now act as a mentor to younger politicians.
Reacting swiftly, the Labour Party dismissed Adeyanju’s claim that Atiku, Kwankwaso or Tinubu impeded their Presidential candidate, Obi’s presidency. LP’s national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, contended that institutional glitches, not the mentioned politicians, barred Obi from victory.
Ifoh said that such decisions are determined by lobbying and that no one holds the right to dictate who should or should not contest in a democracy. LP stressed that thousands aspire to lead the nation and alleged that the LP’s loss was due to institutional sabotage rather than the presence of specific individuals.
Ifoh expressed LP’s readiness to mobilise resources to rectify such issues in preparation for 2027.
“They have ambitions to lead the nation. Politics is not done like that. You have to lobby and keep lobbying.
“No one has the right to tell another person not to contest. That’s democracy. They are not the only people that want to lead the nation. Thousands of people want to lead the nation.
“The issue he is talking about is conspiracy theory. LP did not lose the election. We won the majority vote. But it is the institutions that rob the Labour Party of the victory,” Iffoh said.
Additionally, the National Secretary of the NNPP, Dipo Olayoku, rebutted the notion of greed as a factor in losing the presidential election. Olayonu lauded Kwankwaso’s qualifications and experience, suggesting that Nigeria needs someone with an extensive track record like Kwankwaso.
Olayonu noted Kwankwaso’s credentials and visionary manifesto, advocating for a New Nigeria. He stressed the need for a leader with a clear agenda and strong leadership qualities to address prevalent challenges like insecurity.
Olayonu asserted that the 2027 elections might offer a different landscape for a bold game if Nigerians understand their desires, hinting at a potential shift in voting patterns for a better future.
“It was not greed. As humans, everyone must have ambition. Kwankwaso by education, experience and offices he held in the past, is eminently qualified to be the president of Nigeria,” Olayonu said.
“As members of NNPP, we were bold to say out of the four, Kwankwaso was at that time the most qualified. And he is still the most qualified.
“He is not greedy. Nigeria needs someone with antecedents, track records, and someone who has delivered infrastructure, scholarship, and development training in ICT and Medicine. When he was flying during the campaign, he met one of the pilots he awarded a scholarship to study abroad. They were the ones flying him. This is the kind of person Nigeria needs.”
