Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party for the 2023 elections, Mr Peter Obi, has given reasons for his absence during the recent national convention of his party at Nnewi, Anambra State.
The convention which reelected Mr Julius Abure as the party’s national chairman was originally planned to be held at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Umuahia, in Abia State before it was suddenly moved to Nnewi, Anambra State by the party leaders.
However, despite the venue change, Peter Obi, alongside other prominent personalities in the party like Sen Victor Umeh and Sen Tony Nwoye, all failed to attend the convention.
Their absence has raised concerns, particularly with the recent crisis in the party where many of its supporters are calling for a proper restructuring of the party ahead of 2027.
Addressing Nigerians on X Space hosted by Parallel Facts on Friday, Obi said he ignored the convention because the party leadership under Abure failed to do wide consultation with key stakeholders of the party before embarking on the said convention.
The former Anambra State Governor emphasised the need for the right thing to be done to salvage the party, adding that he is more passionate about building a new Nigeria than building a new Labour Party.
“We promised to build Nigeria, we did not promise to build a New Labour Party,” he emphatically affirmed.
He also threw his weight behind the call for a structure for the ‘Obidient’ movement.
“It is the standard practice around the world where movements form themselves into blocs and are part of the political process,” he added.
