Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has told Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, that he is free to leave.
The spokesman of NLC, Benson Upah disclosed this in an interview with journalists.
The leadership of the NLC vowed not to rest until it unseat Julius Abure as national chairman of the Labour Party.
Upah said despite the “illegal national convention” that returned Abure to office, the union would never confer legitimacy or give recognition to his leadership.
“Our position on this matter is clear and has not changed. Abure remains unknown to us. It is not a question of removal. As far as we know, he does not exist,” he said.
Meanwhile, a group of retired workers under the aegis of Lagos Assembly of Labour Veterans and Trade Unionists has called for the resignation of the embattled national chairman of the party and the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, over their contentious leadership struggle.
Obi has been at loggerheads with the leadership of the LP over the manner it conducted the convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, despite his plea for wider consultation.
The former Anambra governor, in an X Space session last Friday, expressed his frustrations.
Obi said he didn’t attend the national convention that got Julius Abure re-elected as the party’s national chairman because the party’s leadership failed to heed his appeal for wider consultation with relevant stakeholders before the exercise.
His comment has further fuelled earlier speculations that the LP presidential candidate may have started shopping for a new platform despite being guaranteed the 2027 ticket at the convention.
But Upah said the issue of whether Obi should stay or leave the party should not be debated, saying the former governor was free to determine his destiny.
According to him, the NLC cannot stand in the way of the presidential candidate should he decide to defect to another political platform.
Upah described Obi as an asset, saying the congress would not stand in his way if he chose to leave.
“The right of choice is available to Mr Obi. If he chooses to leave the party, that is his preference. We can’t sit in judgment over him on that. But if he chooses to remain, of course, Peter Obi is an asset any day. I rest my case on that,” he said.
