The Edo State chapter of the Labour Party, LP, has accused its 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, of being the root cause of the internal crisis rocking the party across the country.
Speaking at a press conference in Benin City on Monday, the State Chairman of LP, Hon. Elizabeth Ativie, dismissed allegations made against the National Chairman of the party, Barrister Julius Abure, by Ms Precious Oruche, popularly known as Mama P.
Ativie alleged that Oruche made false claims in her social media posts, accusing Abure of frustrating Nigerians and being declared wanted by the police for forgery. She insisted such claims were baseless and targeted at tarnishing the image of the party leadership.
The Edo LP chairman, however, placed the blame for the party’s deepening division on Peter Obi. According to her, Obi failed to resolve post-primary election disputes in several states, a situation she said escalated the leadership tussle.
Ativie further accused Obi of meddling in the Edo 2024 governorship election, alleging that despite the National Working Committee (NWC) zoning the ticket to Edo Central Senatorial District, Obi endorsed Barrister Olumide Akpata against the party’s collective decision.
She alleged that Obi, alongside Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti, convened what she described as an “illegally expanded stakeholders meeting” in Umuahia on September 4, 2024, with the aim of ousting a legally constituted NWC.
“Since that meeting, the party has remained factionalised,” she said. “His desperation to control the soul of the party has made him go haywire. This is a man who we stood by during campaigns, even risking our lives in difficult areas. Yet, instead of appreciation, he turned against those who laboured for him.”
Ativie stressed that Peter Obi lacks the competence, character, and capacity to lead Nigeria, urging Nigerians to be cautious about his political ambitions.
