2027: LP launches grassroots mobilisation after 2023 missteps

The Labour Party (LP) is undertaking its boldest internal overhaul yet, a grassroots restructuring initiative informed by shortcomings in the 2023 elections, aimed at strengthening the party ahead of the 2027 polls.

At a strategic summit held on Wednesday in Abuja, themed “Reuniting the Labour Party: Consolidating Strength for Sustainable Political Impact,” the Interim National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, said the party’s core flaw in 2023 was not vote transmission disputes, but its lack of structure.

The senator stated, “Without knowing who your members are, where they are, how many you are, you can never plan well.”

Usman, a former Minister of Finance, stressed that while rival parties debated technology issues, the LP failed to harness and document its grassroots base.

“That is not our problem. Our problem is to ensure that we register our members right from the grassroots,” she told the session.

She highlighted post-election court challenges as a stark reminder of these gaps, noting, “When the Labour Party went to court to prove their case… they couldn’t really prove the number of votes that we claimed we had.” Usman attributed this to missing agents and absent Form EC8A sheets, despite the tireless efforts of party faithful and workers.

She added, “There is no polling unit in this country where you go that you don’t have either a serving worker or a retired worker. We are all over. In 2023, we were mocked that we didn’t have a structure. And we didn’t have a structure because we did not utilise what we had.”

According to her, a nationwide membership drive, blending manual and digital tools to log data polling-unit by polling-unit, will address the problem.

“No structure can ever be built without a foundation,” Usman said, emphasising that the initiative would ensure ward, state, and national congresses operate with verified leadership slates.

The chairman also dismissed lingering disputes, inviting party members to contest positions through proper congresses: “If anybody feels strongly that he must occupy any position, the congresses are here. Go out and contest,” she challenged.

The Deputy Governor of Abia State, Ikechukwu Emetu, representing Governor Alex Otti, called for unity in the rebuilding process. “Politics, like governance, thrives on unity of purpose. The strength of any political movement lies not merely in numbers, but in clarity of vision, discipline, and shared conviction. Under the leadership of Dr Alex Otti, Abia State has shown that the Labour Party is not just an electoral vehicle, but a platform for purposeful governance, accountability, and people-centred development,” he said.

He further added, “Elections are not won in the election year alone. They are won through consistent engagement, credible governance, and sustained connection with the electorate. This summit must produce actionable resolutions, not just speeches. Reuniting the party is not about papering over differences. It is about building trust, strengthening structures, and ensuring that every stakeholder feels valued and heard.”

The key focus of the Labour Party’s rebuilding process is to register members, secure polling units, strengthen internal democracy, and forge strategic alliances.