• Labour Party declared that Peter Obi may be ineligible to contest under its platform in the upcoming 2027 elections
• The party's interim national chairman, Nenadi Usman cites Electoral Act deadlines on membership registration
• Usman acknowledged Obi’s significant role in boosting the party’s popularity ahead of the 2023 general elections

The leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party has taken a fresh turn, as its interim national chairman, Nenadi Usman, declared that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, may be unable to contest the 2027 election on its platform.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, Usman cited provisions of Nigeria’s Electoral Act, stressing that strict timelines around party membership registration would make any late return by Obi legally impossible.

“Well it will be too late actually for him to come back because if you look at the act now, at some point we close the register.

“Once we close the register 21 days before primaries, submit the register, the e-register to INEC, you can’t come from behind the door for us to register you and for you to contest the elections. That would be impossible, legally impossible anyway.”

Despite the firm stance, Usman acknowledged Obi’s significant role in boosting the party’s popularity ahead of the 2023 general elections.

She revealed that Obi had personally convinced her and many others to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party to the Labour Party.

“Even me, he convinced me to come with him to Labour Party. Convinced me and not just me, many people that are in Labour Party today were convinced by, let’s join Peter, go to Labour Party because we believed in equity and fair play.”

Explaining her departure from the PDP, Usman pointed to dissatisfaction with the party’s zoning arrangement ahead of the last election cycle.

“We believe that PDP should have zoned the seat to the south. But since they left it open and said there were no zoning and a northerner, they were trying to field a northerner, we felt no, it’s not fair. Though I’m a northerner but I felt it was not fair,” she said.

The Labour Party has remained entangled in a prolonged leadership tussle following its strong 2023 electoral performance.

The crisis intensified with rival claims to the party’s national leadership, pitting Usman’s caretaker committee against the faction loyal to former chairman Julius Abure.

Legal battles have since shaped the party’s leadership structure.

In April 2025, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled that Abure’s tenure had expired. A subsequent decision by a Federal High Court in Abuja removed him from office and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise Usman’s leadership pending a national convention.

Following the rulings, Usman’s faction assumed control of the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, amid allegations of vandalism and missing documents levelled against Abure’s supporters.

More recently, the Court of Appeal of Nigeria upheld Usman’s position, dismissing Abure’s challenge and instructing INEC to deal exclusively with her committee.

However, Abure has indicated plans to approach the Supreme Court again, leaving the dispute far from over.

The ongoing crisis has weakened the party’s structure, leading to defections, reduced representation in the National Assembly, and diminished grassroots strength. Obi himself reportedly cited the instability as a key reason for his exit.

In response, Usman’s leadership has begun a membership revalidation exercise and announced that the party’s 2027 presidential ticket will be zoned to the South.

Labour Party leaders meet to discuss future, 2027 elections

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that two prominent figures of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, and Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia State, had called for a crucial meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

According to a notice jointly issued by Obi and Otti, the NEC meeting will be followed by an interactive town hall engagement with major stakeholders and other key party organs.

The engagement, held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, aimed to provide a platform for broader discussion on the future direction of the Labour Party.