By Kolawole Ojebisi
Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has affirmed his commitment to the opposition party, stressing that he will run on the party’s platform come 2027.
Obi made the declaration while addressing supporters in a seven-minute video circulating on social media on Saturday.
“I will still continue to run in the Labour Party. I’m a member of the Labour Party.” the ex-Anambra governor categorically said when asked which party he intends to contest the 2027 elections
He blamed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the crisis rocking the opposition parties in the country, stressing that it’s a plot to weaken opposition in a bid to retain power.
He said: “What is happening in the Labour Party and the PDP is caused by the government, quote me anywhere.
“We had a problem in our party before, in the past. Yar’Adua was the President. I went to him then; he called the INEC chairman (Prof. Maurice Iwu) and told him I don’t want any problem in any party. We were forced to fix it.
“But today, in all the parties, there are problems; these are deliberate problems caused by the system. These are some of the things I want to clean up if I have the opportunity.
“Parties will function very well because you can’t have a system working without a strong opposition.”
Obi’s declaration comes amid series of strategic plannings, involving the former Anambra governor, to form a coalition party with prominent politicans from other opposition platforms.
At the forefront of the coalition movement are Obi, former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai who recently dumped the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The aim of the coalition is to wrest the reins of power from President Bola Tinubu in 2027 and end the APC’s twelve-year reign.
