The Labour Party has issued a harsh warning to its 2023 presidential contender, Peter Obi, encouraging him to stop what it described as a long-running media blackmail campaign against the party’s leadership.
Alhaji Umar Farouk, the party’s National Secretary, issued a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.
The threat follows Obi’s statements in an interview with Arise Television on Monday, in which he claimed that the ruling All Progressives Congress had infiltrated the LP leadership in order to undermine it.
Farouk dismissed the claim as baseless, accusing the former Anambra governor of consistently targeting the party’s leadership in public, particularly National Chairman Julius Abure, without presenting any credible evidence.
“Our attention was called to an interview granted by Obi wherein he alleged that the APC-led federal government has infiltrated the leadership of the Labour Party and is fomenting a crisis in the party.
“But when asked to produce evidence, Obi had nothing tangible to offer,” Farouk said.
He further said, “It is unfortunate that Mr Obi continues to misinform Nigerians on the root of the internal crisis within the Labour Party, even though he knows that most political parties face one form of crisis or another.”
Farouk placed the blame for the party’s internal struggle entirely on Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti, whom he said remains suspended from the party for anti-party activities.
He asserted that the ruling APC had no involvement in the LP’s problems, demanding Obi provide any evidence to the contrary.
“Nobody is infallible. When good leaders fail, they should take responsibility. Obi failed in providing leadership for the party and should own up to that failure instead of shifting blame,” Farouk said.
He described as “shameful” the continued insinuations by the former governor of Anambra state and Otti that the LP has been compromised by the APC, pointing out that the same leadership Obi now criticises had supported him unwaveringly during the 2023 elections, through campaigns and legal battles up to the Supreme Court.
Farouk said, “This was the same leadership that stood behind Obi and even appeared in court more than he did when a splinter group attempted to hijack the party.”
“The government was in existence when Peter Obi and Alex Otti were handed the 2023 and 2027 tickets, respectively, without contest. Was it also the APC that instructed them to create an illegal caretaker committee in Umuahia?”
Farouk emphasised that the party has moved on since the Supreme Court decision and is now working on reforming and healing, emphasising that persistent public outbursts by high-profile members harm such efforts and erode the party’s unity.
“We had every opportunity to betray our candidates in 2023 but chose to remain loyal to Peter Obi and Alex Otti before, during, and after the elections. “Instead of appreciation, what we get today is blackmail,” Farouk stated.
He mentioned that despite their recent criticisms, his recognition of Abure as National Chairman during his interview was a subtle acknowledgement of legitimate leadership.
“As far as we are concerned, the issue is settled.
“Barrister Julius Abure remains the National Chairman of the Labour Party. That fact is not in dispute.
“We urge Peter Obi and other aggrieved members to come to terms with this and work toward the unity of the party,” he concluded.
