2027: Transient Aspirant, Passers-by won’t contest under LP again – Obi declares

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the general elections in 2023, has said that bystanders will no longer be considered as party candidates.

Obi made reference to state and federal politicians who were elected on the party’s platform but then defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, or APC, when he said this.

Speaking Wednesday at the Labour Party National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, Obi stated that only party members should be allowed to fly the party’s flag in any election.

Members of the party who had previously stood their ground at the national parliament and stayed loyal to the party that put them in power were praised by the former governor of Anambra State and business magnate.

Peter Obi said, “We want to build a party that will be fair, a party that will be just, a party that people can look at and say, ‘this is how this party is’.

“We want to go into the next election knowing full well that we’re offering Nigerians the best of people and competent people for House of Assembly, for House of Reps, for Senate, for Governor, for any level of election.

“So we want to be ready. We want to correct even mistakes we made in the past, because there were mistakes. So we need to correct it. We are going to be sure that whoever wants to contest in the National Assembly now will be a Labour Party member, not on transit, not passer-by.

“We want to be sure that those who go to the House of Reps are not passers-by. They are members of our party, and they are competent, and they will stand with the party because want to be a party of ideology.

“Not a party where you just elect people and they become whatever goes on.

“I’ll thank those who stood at the time, even [when they are alone]. We must have senators who agree with us. That is what we want.

“Even if we go and fail, we’ll fail, but it is better to fail being right than you’re on the side of wrong. That is what we want, and we’re going to do that for Nigeria.”