The Labour Party has confirmed that there will be no automatic tickets for Mr. Peter Obi or Governor Alex Otti in the upcoming 2027 presidential and governorship elections. This decision was announced following an emergency meeting of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC), led by the Julius Abure faction.
The party’s Deputy National Secretary, Mr. Innocent Okeke, conveyed the resolution from the meeting, stating that all party tickets, from the presidency to state assemblies, are open to all qualified Nigerians. This announcement implies a competitive process for all party positions.
Governor Otti, who had called a stakeholder meeting in Umuahia, Abia, to dissolve the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and replace it with a Caretaker Committee headed by Mrs. Nenadi Usman, was found to have acted beyond his authority. According to Okeke, the Abia governor lacked the constitutional power to make such changes, which should have been authorized by the National Secretary with the National Chairman’s approval.
Okeke emphasized that the Labour Party Constitution outlines specific procedures for removing party officials and that the NWC has the authority to take disciplinary action against members who bring disrepute to the party. He urged party members and the public to disregard the outcomes of Otti’s meeting and to continue supporting the leadership of the Julius Abure-led NWC.
In response, Julius Abure criticized Otti’s actions as illegal and a betrayal of the Labour Party’s principles. He stressed that the party’s mission is to unite Nigeria and serve the marginalized, not to be undermined from within. Abure vowed to uphold the party’s values and vision, asserting that true change in Nigeria will come through collective effort.
