The Labour Party’s National Working Committee, led by Julius Abure, has stated that it will not apply disciplinary actions against Peter Obi, its former presidential candidate in 2023, claiming that he was clearly tricked into quitting his party in favour of an “illegal” caretaker committee.
Kèhinde Edun, the party’s national legal adviser, confirmed this in an interview with The Punch.
According to him, imposing sanctions will not end the standoff.
However, Edun expressed optimism that the former governor of Anambra State would retrace his steps.
He said, “Obi is being misled. It is human to err, and we give respect to him as the leader. I understand there is so much pressure from everywhere, and we recognise that at the end of the day, the truth shall prevail.
“We might have a temporary situation where someone is confused as to the path to take. We won’t crucify him for that. So we are confident that it is only a matter of time; our leaders shall realise the truth and their mistakes. So it is clear.”
However, Obi’s media adviser, Umar Ibrahim, maintained that Obi was not misled.
He said, “His Excellency Peter Obi is not interested in unending issues. He is interested in building a united party. So as long as they have respect for him, it’s good that they follow some of the laid-down rules and regulations of the party that can help us chart a way forward.
“That is exactly what we need to do. We should be able to ignore name-calling and all, but follow the provisions of the constitution of the party. As Obi usually says, if you want to be addressed as Excellency, you need to come through an excellent way.”
Last week, Abure’s NWC accused Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti of betrayal.
At a news conference in Abuja, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, expressed disappointment that the former governor of Anambra state and Otti would forsake Abure after he supported them in the 2023 general elections.
Ifoh complained that, rather than supporting the party at this difficult time, the two party leaders betrayed their confidence by siding with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
