The Lamidi Apapa [/b]faction of the Labour Party has made a resolute declaration that the party's 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi,[/b] will not be granted the party's ticket for the 2027 presidential election. This unwavering stance has prompted Apapa to advise Obi to seek a different political platform to pursue his presidential aspirations.
The Apapa faction, whose authenticity was recently affirmed by the Edo Division of the Court of Appeal, has already embarked on the search for an alternative presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
The faction's spokesman, Abayomi Arabambi, conveyed this message on Wednesday, responding to Obi's appeal at the Supreme Court against the verdict of the Presidential Election Petitions Court, which upheld President Bola Tinubu's victory in the 2023 presidential election.
It's important to note that the Apapa-led LP faction had distanced itself from Obi and the Julius Abure faction's decision to challenge Tinubu's victory in court. On August 14, the Edo division of the Court of Appeal affirmed Apapa as the legitimate National Chairman of the Labour Party.
Arabambi's perspective is clear: he believes Obi should not bother pursuing an appeal against Tinubu's victory at the Supreme Court, citing Obi's alleged mismanagement of human resources as a factor in his electoral loss. Arabambi advised Obi to prepare for the 2027 election but in a different party, excluding LP.
In response, Yunusa Tanko, the spokesman for Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, dismissed Arabambi's threat, emphasizing that the Apapa faction lacks authority over the Labour Party. Meanwhile, the LP National Legal Adviser, Kehinde Edun, rebuked the Apapa faction, asserting that the Abure faction is the one recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and condemning the Apapa faction as suspended members. Edun maintained that INEC only accepts nominations from the recognized National Executive Committee of the party, further invalidating Apapa's claim.
