The Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Praty on Thursday slammed opposition coalition as power mongers and gave its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, 48 hours to resign his membership from the party.
Obi, who served as LP presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, was unveiled as one of the pioneers of the African Democratic Congress-led coalition at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Wednesday.
He was at the unveiling of ADC as a coalition party to challenge the rulling All Progressive Congress in the 2027 election.
Other major political figures at the event include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Nasir El-Rufai and Rotimi Ameachi, ex-governors of Kaduna and Rivers, respectively.
Former Senate President David Mark and ex-Governor Rauf Aregbesola also attended the unveiling and were named ADC National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
However, a statement issued in Abuja by LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, described the event as a gathering of “power mongers”.
He also accused the former Governor of Anambra of holding dual political loyalist and he is lobbying the party members to join the coaltion.
The statement partly read, “We are aware of several nocturnal meetings between Peter Obi and some of our members, lobbying them to join him in his new party. We’re also aware that a number of them have refused to defect with him.
“Labour Party has consistently said it is not part of the coalition and therefore, any of our members who is part of the coalition is given within 48 hours to formally resign his membership of the party.”
Ifoh noted that the “new Nigeria” mantra often echoed by Obi and his supporters cannot be actualise with a coalition of “recycled, desperate, and frustrated politicians”.
“Nearly 70 per cent of the Nigerian population are youths who are tired of the old order,” he added. “The new Nigeria of our dream can only be realised through Labour Party.”
