•says ticket open to all Nigerians
The Labour Party (LP) has denied claims it zoned the presidential ticket of the party for the 2027 poll to the South East Geopolitical Zone.
It said being a national party, the LP will not zone the ticket to a party zone or an individual.
LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, in a statement on Monday, clarified that the National Chairman, Mr Julius Abure, had only advised Ndigbo to be united in their quest to produce the country’s President during a meeting in Abuja with southeast members of the party.
The party explained that Abure also told them that the LP remained a platform that could be used to realise the aspiration but did not imply that it had ceded the ticket to the zone.
It said, “In a statement released on Sunday titled ‘2027: Labour Party still available for Ndigbo to realise presidency—Abure’, the party did not at any time say it has zoned the presidency or any of its positions in the coming election.
“The party was emphatic on its position that though it made its platform available for the South East to pursue its political aspirations in the 2023 election, it will not close its doors to the zone if it chooses to work with the party in future elections.
“The National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure on Saturday while speaking at a gathering of South-East members of the party in FCT only advised that Ndigbo can still achieve the presidency if they are more united and can reach out to other groups and that the Labour Party is a veritable platform for their aspiration.
“Labour Party is a national party and has large followership across the country and, therefore, the issue of zoning does not arise.
“In 2023 general elections, the party won seats in the North and across the Southern states and we are working hard to surpass that achievement in future elections. Candidates for every position must emerge through highly competitive and democratic processes as the party constitution does not permit zoning.
“We therefore regret the misinterpretation of the party’s noble intention by a section of the media. Our party was quoted out of context.
“However, we are excited by the deluge of concerns raised by the public over the misinformation, it clearly shows the level of love and trust Nigerians have for the Labour Party and how far they are willing to support the party in the task of repositioning Nigeria and ensuring that the democracy works again in our dear country.
“We seize this opportunity to call on Nigerians to have faith in the Labour Party and to support us for the huge task ahead.
“We will not fail you. Together, we shall overcome.”
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