In a significant political development, the Lamidi Apapa faction of the Labour Party has issued a candid piece of advice to Peter Obi, the LP’s 2023 presidential candidate.
The faction suggested that Obi should explore alternative political platforms for his presidential aspirations in the upcoming 2027 elections.
This recommendation comes following the recent affirmation of the authenticity of the Apapa faction by the Edo Division of the Court of Appeal. In response to these developments, the faction has already initiated the search for a new presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
The spokesperson for the Apapa faction, Abayomi Arabambi, shared these insights during an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday.
Arabambi’s comments were prompted by Peter Obi’s decision to file an appeal at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, challenging the verdict of the Presidential Election Petitions Court, which upheld President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election.
It’s worth noting that the Apapa-led faction of the LP distanced itself from Obi’s decision to challenge Tinubu’s victory in court. On August 14, the Court of Appeal’s Edo Division officially declared Lamidi Apapa as the legitimate National Chairman of the Labour Party.
Arabambi emphasized that Peter Obi should refrain from pursuing an appeal against Tinubu’s victory in the Supreme Court. According to him, Obi’s defeat in the election can be attributed to alleged mismanagement of human resources during his campaign.
This development underscores the evolving dynamics within the Labour Party and the shifting landscape of Nigerian politics as the nation approaches the 2027 elections.
Arabambi said, “My advice is for him (Obi) to go and start preparing for 2027. But it has to be in another party, not in LP. We are not going to allow this kind of rascality to continue in 2027. We will look for a fresh candidate as far as we are concerned.
“Obi is free to go back to APGA to run, not Labour Party. We don’t want to continue accommodating a character who believes no other person, other than himself, has anything upstairs. He is not a good manager of human resources. That was why he lost woefully.
“Let me ask Obi who is accusing President Bola Tinubu of certificate fraud this question. Obi claimed he has a B.Sc. Did he present the B.Sc in his form? Was it not the school certificate he wrote there? Why is he hiding his own B.Sc? That is because he knew they could subpoena the vice chancellor or the registrar to come and confirm its authenticity.”
