Peter obi has not left labour party, says Datti Baba-Ahmed
A former vice–presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Datti Baba-Ahmed, on Friday dismissed speculation that Peter Obi has left the party, insisting the former Anambra State governor remains a committed member.
Speaking to journalists after the party’s National Executive Council meeting in Abuja – an event observed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) – Baba-Ahmed said there was no truth in reports suggesting Obi had dumped the LP. “To the best of our knowledge, our brother, His Excellency Peter Obi, is still a member of the Labour Party. Nothing has changed. If he were here now, I would have shifted my seat to the left for him,” he said.
He argued that despite internal disputes that rocked the LP in recent months, the party had emerged stronger and more united. According to him, INEC’s attendance at the NEC meeting was a major confidence boost, saying it “validates this sitting and justifies our presence here”.
Baba-Ahmed described the moment as a renewed drive for reconciliation within the party, calling on old and new members to return and work together ahead of the next national elections.
On the worsening insecurity across the country, he claimed the situation reflected what the LP had warned Nigerians about before the 2023 elections. He pointed to the ongoing spate of mass abductions and the killing of senior military officers, saying such incidents “would never have happened if the Labour Party had formed the government”.
He also reiterated the party’s commitment to workers’ welfare, insisting that ensuring decent and realistic living wages “remains the birthright of the Labour Party, among all political parties”.
Friday’s NEC meeting, chaired by National Chairman Julius Abure, formed part of fresh efforts to resolve the leadership crisis triggered by the disputed 2024 national convention in Nnewi, which split the party into rival factions backed by prominent figures including Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti.