2027: You don’t have automatic presidential ticket — LP tells Peter Obi

The Labour Party (LP) has declared that its presidential ticket for the 2027 general election remains open and that no candidate, including former flagbearer Peter Obi, will be granted an automatic ticket.

The party’s leadership made the clarification following media reports suggesting that the LP was celebrating Obi’s recent declaration of interest to contest the presidency again under its platform.

Reacting to the reports, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement on Monday, stated that such claims were inaccurate and misleading.

He said, “I want to state emphatically that I was quoted out of context and therefore, the impression conveyed by the news was erroneous, inaccurate and does not in any way reflect the position and mood in the party.”

According to the statement, while the party is not opposed to any aspirant seeking to run on its platform in 2027, the process for emergence remains strictly by party rules, and not through automatic endorsement.

“First, while we are not opposed to anybody running under the platform of the Labour Party in the 2027 general election, we need to make it categorically clear that the party has a long standing rule on how its candidates shall emerge and automatic ticket is not one of the routes,” the statement read.

The party also referenced a past decision at its 2024 National Convention, where automatic tickets were erroneously granted to Obi and its only governor, noting that the decision has since been overturned.

“Recall that at the party’s National Convention in 2024, the party had erroneously granted automatic tickets to our former Presidential candidate and the only governor of the party, however, that decision has since been rescinded and reversed after consulting the statute books.”

Obi also came under criticism for attending a coalition meeting in Abuja shortly after declaring his interest to run, an action the LP described as unauthorised and confusing.

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“Second, His Excellency, Peter Obi, hours after he spoke of his intention to run under the Labour Party, was on Sunday (yesterday) seen in a meeting of a pro-coalition group in Abuja without the permission and consent of the Labour Party leadership. This to us is really confusing and we think that Peter Obi has not come to terms with his intentions for the 2027 presidential race.”

The party reiterated its stance against any coalition or merger ahead of the polls, warning that Obi’s continued association with such movements undermines its authority.

“We have consistently said that Labour Party will not go into any coalition or merger of any sort ahead of 2027 general election, therefore Obi’s continued association with the coalition is not only distasteful but unacceptable to the party. It is also an affront to the party leadership and we view his position as a total disregard to the party’s right to make decision bidding its affairs.”

The statement added that the LP’s presidential ticket remains open to all aspirants.

“We are therefore by this statement letting Nigerians know that the presidency for 2027 is open to anyone who wants to run under the platform of the party.”

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