Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, has assured supporters that he will still contest future elections on the party’s platform.
Speaking on Thursday at a hangout event in Abuja, Obi blamed the crisis in political parties on the Nigerian government.
This is despite the fact that opposition leaders, including Obi, have been meeting to forge a coalition to take on President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
“I will still continue to run in the Labour Party. I’m a member of the Labour Party,” Obi said.
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“What is happening in the Labour Party and the PDP is caused by the government, quote me anywhere.
“We had a problem in our party before, in the past. Yar’Adua was the President. I went to him then; he called the INEC chairman (Prof. Maurice Iwu) and told him I do not want any problem in any party. We were forced to fix it.”
The former governor of Anambra urged Nigerians to take responsibility for ensuring their votes count, noting that while party agents may be paid to protect political interests, the final power lies with the voters.
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He called for the introduction of a retirement age for politicians, noting that by 2027 he would be 65 years and would not want to be contesting for elections in his 70s.
“But today, in all the parties, there are problems; these are deliberate problems caused by the system. These are some of the things I want to clean up if I have the opportunity,” he added.
“Parties will function very well because you can not have a system working without a strong opposition.”
Obi’s remark comes amid talks of coalition by opposition parties.
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TheCable previously reported that opposition leaders had virtually agreed on adopting the African Democratic Party (ADC) as the platform to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.
