LP Crisis: What I’ll Do if Peter Obi Dumps Labour Party, House of Reps Aspirant Speaks
- The crisis rocking the Labour Party is beyond the internal wings of the party as it has extended to the leadership circle of the Nigeria Labour Congress
- In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, LP chieftain, Eunice Atuejide advised Julius Abure and Joe Ajaero to settle their differences and work together ahead of the 2027 election
- The politician who contested for the Apapa federal constituency in the 2023 general election under the Labour Party in Lagos state, said she exit LP if Peter Obi dumped the opposition party
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements
Lagos state, Nigeria - Eunice Atuejide, Labour Party (LP) chieftain, has weighed into the crisis rocking the leadership of the party.
Source: Facebook
Abure vs Ajaero's feud
Recall that Barrister Julius Abure, the national chairman of the Labour Party, accused the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero's camp, of stealing funds meant for payment of staff salaries, among other valuables, during the Wednesday, March 20 protest, held at the secretariat of the LP.
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Abure described the action of the labor leaders as a shame and an act of rascality.
Interestingly, Peter Obi, the flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, Governor Alex Otti of Abia state; Senator Victor Umeh and other key figures of of the party were absent on Wednesday, March 27, when Julius Abure was re-elected chairman of the opposition party.
However, LP's highest decision-making body announced that it has reserved its 2027 ticket for the party’s leader, Obi.
In the same vein, the party also announced a right of first refusal for the Otti, should he decide to seek reelection on the party’s platform.
"LP crisis, a real shame", Eunice Atuejide
In an exclusive chat with Legit.ng on Sunday, March 31, Atuejide described "the LP crisis as a real shame."
According to her, it is needless for Abure and Ajaero to clash over the party's leadership position, adding that "I strongly believe that we are better off together".
She stated thus:
"The crisis in the Labour Party is a real shame. My chairman is a politician I have a lot of love and respect for. However, I strongly believe that we are better off together, so I am not happy that he couldn't figure out a way to avoid this crisis. The Labour Party was in comatose until the Obidient Movement merged with it upon Peter Obi's defection to Labour Party from the PDP. From then onwards, it could never be business as usual for LP again. Rather, unfortunately, my chairman and some of the party executives do not understand or want this new life - it is a real shame indeed."
"We are one", Eunice Atuejide
Recently, the Labour Party said it has disassociated itself from Joe Ajaero, NLC and S.O.Z. Ejiofor, the alleged chairman of the party's Board of Trustees (BoT).
This was announced by on Thursday, March 28, the spokesman of the LP, Obiorah Ifoh, who categorically stated that both Ajaero and Ejiofor are not members of the party.
Reacting to the development, Atuejide urged Abure and Ajaero to settle their differences and strategize on how to move Nigeria forward ahead of the 2027 elections.
Atuejide told Legit.ng that:
"In any event, we know that we are better off sticking together, so I am hopeful that the intervention of the NLC through Ajaero would bring all of us back together as one. To my mind, we must figure things out ahead of the 2027 elections, so as to give all of us a better chance of success at the polls. Sorting our issues is also the first proof that we can handle the complexities of Nigeria. So, this is a really important period for all of us at the Labour Party."
Source: Twitter
"I'll leave LP if Peter Obi leaves", Atuejide maintains
Recall that there were speculations that the former Governor of Anambra state planned to dump the party for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) due to its ongoing crisis.
LP however insisted that Peter Obi will not leave the party over the alleged smear campaign against Barr. Abure, noting that Obi had pledged his loyalty to it "due to its social democratic ideology, which suits his political vision".
Addressing Nigerians on X Space hosted by Parallel Facts on Friday, March 29, Obi said he is still a member of the Labour Party and will never be involved in anti-party activities.
Reacting to Peter Obi's alleged exit from LP, Atuejide said she would exit LP if the former governor leaves.
She explained to Legit.ng her reasons and added that she dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2022 for LP due to the vision she shared with Obi.
She stated thus:
"If Peter Obi leaves Labour Party, I will leave with him".
"The reason is that I fundamentally agree with Peter Obi's idea of governance. In fact, I became a politician right after listening to him give account of his tenure as governor of Anambra State on the 1st of October 2016.
"So, I left the APC in 2022, so as to work with the Labour Party towards achieving the vision for Nigeria that a number of us at the Obidient Movement share with Peter Obi.
"It is therefore extremely important to me to keep working with Peter Obi to find more people like us with whom we would build a critical mass of like minds who would someday take charge of the affairs of our dear country.
"Right now, Peter Obi is the leader of the category of politicians I gladly identify with, so I will certainly go with him to help him build a new entity within which we can grow that critical mass of people we need to entrust the affairs of this country when the time comes."
How we fought for Peter Obi’s victory, Eunice Atuejide speaks
Following the outcome of the 2023 general election, Eunice Atuejide, Labour Party (LP) chieftain, has revealed her plans to participate in the 2027 election for the Apapa federal constituency.
In an exclusive chat with Legit.ng on Sunday, January 7, Atuejide narrates her political journey, starting from the deregistration of the National Interest Party (NIP) in 2020 to joining the Obidient Movement and subsequently the Labour Party for the 2023 elections.
The politician explained what went down in the 2023 presidential election in Lagos and how Peter Obi, secured a major victory against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)'s candidate, Bola Tinubu in the state.
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Source: Legit.ng
