The Labour Party has disclosed plans to expel its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his involvement in an opposition coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu.
This was said by a chieftain of the party, Abayomi Arabambi, during a live appearance on Channels Television on Tuesday. He said Obi’s continued engagement with the coalition while still identifying as a Labour Party member was “unconstitutional” and “unacceptable.”
“Let me make it very clear: we are convening a NEC (National Executive Council) meeting where he (Obi) will be expelled. It is unconstitutional for you to belong to two political parties at a time. They have deceived him to their side, and there he shall remain,” Arabambi said.
He stressed that the NEC would recommend Obi’s expulsion, which would be formally ratified at the party’s convention per its constitution.
“Obi will be expelled from our party. He is no longer a member. It is not within his right to claim, ‘I am still a member of the Labour Party,’ and at the same time be hobnobbing with what we call the ‘yahoo yahoo’ coalition. We are not going to accept that,” he stated.
Arabambi’s remarks followed a 48-hour ultimatum issued to Obi by the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party, demanding he formally resign his membership over what they described as a “bromance” with the coalition.
In a statement dated 3 July, LP’s Obiora Ifoh said, “Labour Party is not part of the coalition. Therefore, any of our members who are part of the coalition are given within 48 hours to formally resign his membership of the party.
“Labour Party is not available for people with dual agendas or deceptive personas. We will not allow individuals to have one leg in our party and the other elsewhere.”
Ifoh accused members of the coalition of being opportunistic politicians “interested in relaunching themselves into the circle of power”.
In a scathing assessment, Arabambi challenged public perceptions about Obi’s role in the party’s rise, saying, “I want to correct a very wrong notion—Obi did not make the Labour Party; the Labour Party made Peter Obi. It was just a chance of circumstance because of the #EndSARS protests and the failings of past administrations. Nigerians were simply tired.”
He maintained that the party’s integrity and goodwill provided Obi with the platform that elevated his political status in 2023.
“It’s because of our own integrity. That was what gave Obi what he is today. He should be banking on our goodwill, not the other way around. He started the crisis in the Labour Party,” he said.
Accusing Obi of authoritarian tendencies, Arabambi added, “If he can fight party members to do his will, then he is not fit to run the party.”
He also reiterated the party’s unified leadership, noting that, “Let me also make it clear: we do not have groups in the Labour Party. We have only one leadership under Julius Abure, our national chairman.”
