The National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Dr. Abayomi Arabambi, has dismissed the recent statement by Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, in which he pledged to serve only one term if elected in 2027.
Recall that Peter Obi, during a live session on X Spaces over the weekend, declared his intention to run for president in 2027. Speaking to supporters both in Nigeria and abroad, Obi stated he was willing to serve a single four-year term if elected. He also expressed openness to coalition talks, but emphasized that such alliances must be centered on solving Nigeria’s fundamental challenges.
On Tuesday, The National Coordinator for Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, disclosed that Obi, has submitted his single-tenure proposal to the opposition coalition for consideration.
Speaking exclusively on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, On Wednesday, Dr. Arabambi described Obi’s claim as “falsehood laced with desperation”, stating that the former Anambra governor no longer represents the ideals of the Labour Party.
*“That statement about running for just one term is deceptive. In Nigeria’s history, has any president ever truly committed to one term? After a year or two, you’ll start hearing chants of ‘four more years.’ Peter Obi’s promise is inconsistent and dishonest,” *Arabambi said.
“This was the same man that said the Bible told him, when you go to a place and you are not needed, you don’t need to die there.Take off your shoes, that he cannot die with the labour party, let the party go and die, now he is the same man saying he wants to run under the party.
The Labour Party spokesperson further criticized Obi’s political history, accusing him of destabilizing the party after joining in 2022.
“Here is a man who joined a united party and left it disjointed. When he came, he met us united and made sure, today, we are disconnected. He deceived Nigeria Because People thought he wanted to be president but we know it was just about scam. The guy came to scam us in Labour and that I will never deviate because we know the intricacies that happened in the party”, Arabambi, dismissed the gesture as a political gimmick. *He moved from APGA to PDP, then came to Labour Party. He’s a political scam. When the time comes, we will expose him,” Arabambi added.
Arabambi didn’t stop there. He went on to criticize Obi’s political track record, calling him a destabilizing force within the Labour Party.
The likes of Obi and his co-farmers we know what they came to do but for him to claim he’s going to spend just a term is a statement that made out of falsehood is impossible. He said he will fix Nigeria in 2 years, a man that cannot even fix Labour Party in 6 months. He came to make sure our party was an embodiment of his institutional slavery. Where’s the empirical track of his words?
He further accused Obi of attempting to “Igbo-lize” the Labour Party and causing internal disunity. “He wanted to Igbo-lize our party that was why we started having internal issues within the party. He can’t fix the part in two years. Let me tell you, Obi has nothing upstairs. He has no solution. The economic part, his company is running imported based. Everything he’s selling are all foreign base. Nothing is produced in Nigeria. Yet he wants to fix the nation. He should stop telling us lies” He stated.
Arabambi’s comments came a day after IPAC Chairman, Yabagi Sani, questioned the credibility of Obi’s one-term pledge and remarked that no aspirant ahead of 2027 including Obi could claim moral superiority. “None of them is a saint,” Yabagi said.
COALITION AND ADC POWER SHIFT
While Arabambi strongly distanced the Labour Party from the emerging opposition coalition, Peter Obi was present at Wednesday’s major political event where African Democratic Congress (ADC) National Chairman, Ralph Nwosu, stepped down after 18 years. Nwosu handed over to former Senate President David Mark as interim national chairman, and former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary.
The transition event was the culmination of over 18 months of consultations and 12 meetings of the ADC’s NEC and NWC. Also in attendance were prominent political figures including Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, and Nasir El-Rufai.
Arabambi, however, downplayed the significance of the coalition, calling it “selfish and personal not in the interest of the average Nigerian.” He reiterated that the Labour Party would not form alliances with individuals he believes helped bring Nigeria to its current state.
“We are not considering any coalition. The likes of Tinubu, Atiku, and even Obi have brought this country to its knees since 2015. They are birds of the same feather. They should all get out of Nigeria’s political system,” he stated.
LABOUR PARTY INTERNAL CRISIS
On the ongoing leadership dispute within the party, Arabambi also dismissed the legitimacy of the Julius Abure faction, insisting that no court ruling had declared Lamidi Apapa or Nenadi as chairman either.
“The Supreme Court does not impose party leadership. People don’t read judgments; they rely on hearsay. The judiciary has repeatedly said it will not interfere in internal party affairs,” he explained.
When asked about Obi’s current status in the party, Arabambi declared emphatically that the former presidential candidate had been suspended and no longer holds any valid membership.
“Peter Obi has been suspended. He does not belong to the Labour Party anymore. With the way he’s dividing the country and the party, he’s done more harm than good,” he said.
Arabambi also claimed that Abia State Governor Alex Otti, who was elected on the Labour Party platform in 2023, had similarly been distanced from the party’s core leadership.
