Atiku Coalition: The Labor Party Faction led by Abure gave Peter Obi 48 hours

A faction from the Labor Party (LP) which is loyal to the National Party Chairperson, Julius Abure, has issued a 48 -hour ultimatum to former presidential candidate Peter Obi, demanding that he resigned from the party for his developing relationship with the newly formed opposition coalition.

In a statement released on Thursday, the group spokesman, Obiora Ifoh, condemned Obi’s involvement in what he called “Bromance” with a political alliance led by David Mark. The coalition, launched in Abuja on Wednesday, announced the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its official platform for the 2027 general election.

Ifoh accused that the coalition consisted of “hopeless and recycled politicians” which, at various times, contributed to wrong Nigeria, and therefore did not have the credibility to deliver “New Nigeria” which is often adopted by OBI.

“We are aware of several night meetings between Peter Obi and some of our members, lobbying them to join him in his new party,” said Ifoh. “We are also aware that some of them have refused to defect with him.”

Faction emphasized that the labor party was not part of the coalition and emphasized that one of its members who participated in the alliance must resign from their LP membership within 48 hours.

“The labor party is not available for people with a double agenda or deceptive personality,” added the statement. “The party will not use itself for people who have one foot on the other hand and the other legs in another place.”

The statement further described members of the opposition coalition as “opportunistic politician” who intended to regain power rather than giving sincere reform.

The meeting of the opposition leaders on Wednesday in Abuja resulted in the election of former Senate President David Mark as the temporary national chairman and former State Governor Osun Rauf Aregbesola as the National Secretary of the Interim Coalition. The event was attended by leading political figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Governor Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Emeka Imedoha (IMO), and Gabriel Suswam (Benue).

Other people present included Senator Dino Melaye, former Minister of Youth and Sports Solomon Dalung, Dele Momodu Publisher, Senator Ireeti Kingibe, and former Chief of Air Staff Sadique Abubakar.

While Obi has not officially responded to the ultimatum, his presence at a coalition meeting has intensified speculation about the possibility of more extensive political defense and rearrangement ahead of the 2027 election.

The Labor Party, which jumped into a national excellence during the 2023 presidential election under Obi’s leadership, now faces internal tensions when the party navigating the future and its attitude to the opposition movement that arises.

Check Also

Freedom of Information Act and The Limits of Press Freedom, By Mack Ogbamosa – THISAGE

        Introduction  A free, independent, and vibrant press is one of the strongest pillars of any democratic society. It is against this background that most democratic countries  make constitutional provisions for a free press . Others even go further to enact specific laws to make affairs of governments freely available to the public. Currently, there are more than  130 countries in the world that have free press laws. They include Sweden, United States, France, South Africa and Nigeria. Nigeria did not only make  constitutional provisions in Sections 22 and 39(1) of the 1999 Constitution ( as amended) but also went ahead to enact the Freedom of Information Act  in 2011. Section 22 of the 1999  Constitution states: “ “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media  shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter( ie Chapter II) and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people”  Section 39(1)  of same Constitution states : “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference” ..  To complement these constitutional provisions, Section 1 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) states “Notwithstanding anything contained in any other Act, law or regulation, the right of any person to access or request information, whether or not contained in any written form, which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution howsoever described, is established.” while Section  2(2), states that: “A public institution shall ensure the proper organization and maintenance of all information in its custody in a manner that facilitates public access to such information”  Primary Purpose of FOIA  According to the Act, its primary purpose is to make information about public records freely available to every Nigerian in the public interest. …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *