Datti Baba-Ahmed, a former vice-presidential candidate for the Labour Party, declared on Friday that former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi had not quit the party.
Speaking to press following the party’s National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, which was attended by Independent National Electoral Commission officials, Baba-Ahmed denied allegations that Obi had abandoned the LP.
“To the best of our knowledge, our brother, His Excellency Peter Obi, remains a member of the Labour Party. Nothing has changed. “If he were here now, I would have moved my seat to the left for him,” he remarked.
Baba-Ahmed argued that the party had overcome its internal problems and that the progress portended better days ahead.
He also regarded INEC’s participation in the conference as a significant boost.
“The Labour Party has not reduced in any way. We have only increased in numbers. But with the submission of our leader, the National Secretary, we have gone through rough times, as is usual with political associations, and have emerged from it.
“The highlight and major turning point of this NEC meeting is the presence of INEC, which validates this sitting and justifies our presence here. As law-abiding citizens, we strictly go by what the law provides.
“This is a renewed drive for reconciliation, and I am here as a loyal party member to continue to open our arms to embrace new and existing members to come back and reconcile with the party for the national assignment ahead of us,” he stated.
Speaking on rising insecurity in the country, the LP chieftain recalled that they had warned Nigerians that such outcomes were likely if they failed to elect the right leadership.
He said, “Only two days ago, a state of national emergency was declared in Nigeria. If you recall, we warned Nigeria and the world that this was likely to happen—and it is happening.
“Nigerians voted en masse for change, and something else happened. The result is what we saw two days ago: school abductions in hundreds and senior army officers killed publicly.
“These would never have happened if the Labour Party had formed the government of Nigeria.”
He further stated that the LP remained committed to workers’ welfare.
“It is the birthright of LP, among all political parties, to ensure decent and realistic living wages for all workers. This will play a key role from now until 2027 and beyond.”
Friday’s NEC meeting, chaired by National Chairman Julius Abure, was part of ongoing efforts to resolve the leadership schism sparked by the contentious 2024 national convention in Nnewi, which divided the party into rival camps supported by top figures such as Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti.
