The interim caretaker committee chairperson of the Labour Party (LP), Nenadi Usman, has said it would be “legally impossible” for Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra, to secure the party’s presidential ticket for 2027.
Obi was the LP’s candidate in the 2023 presidential election, where he placed third behind former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and eventual winner President Bola Tinubu.
However, he left the party in December 2025 to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he is among those seeking the party’s presidential ticket.
Amid the leadership crisis within the ADC and INEC’s derecognition of its factions, speculation has emerged about Obi possibly returning to the LP.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television on Wednesday night, Usman said party rules and electoral guidelines do not permit late entry once the register of participants has been closed and submitted to INEC.
“It will actually be too late for him to come back,” she said.
“At some point, we close the register, and once we close it 21 days before the primaries and submit the e-register to INEC, you can’t come from behind the door for us to register you and for you to contest. That would be legally impossible.”
Despite her position, Usman acknowledged Obi’s contribution to the party’s performance in the 2023 election, noting that his candidacy attracted widespread support.
“Peter Obi really took the party to great heights in 2023,” she said, adding that many current members, including herself, joined the LP because of him.
“He convinced me to come with him to the Labour Party. And not just me, many people joined because we believed in equity and fair play,” she stated, noting that dissatisfaction with the zoning decision of the Peoples Democratic Party influenced their move.
On the party’s leadership dispute, the court of appeal in Abuja on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by Julius Abure, the LP’s factional chairman, which sought to overturn an earlier ruling on the crisis.
In its judgment, the appellate court upheld the lower court’s decision, affirming that the leadership issue had already been resolved and directing INEC to recognise Usman as the party’s national chairperson.
Reacting to the ruling, Usman accused opposing factions of attempting to destabilise the party through multiple court cases.
“It was a case to destabilise the party,” she said.
“You see one person filing nothing less than eight cases in eight different courts across eight different states, all seeking one relief. That is an abuse of court processes.”
She also disclosed that INEC recently carried out a verification exercise at the party’s office, which she described as successful, noting that some officials from previous leadership structures were present.
Usman added that the party would soon begin its congresses, leading to a national convention scheduled to take place in Umuahia, Abia state.
She said all factions, including the Abure group, have been invited as part of efforts to promote unity.
“We’ve extended an olive branch. We just want to build the party,” she said.
She emphasised the need for strong institutions rather than individual control, warning against attempts to personalise party leadership.
“We don’t want anybody to perpetuate themselves as chairman for life. Leadership in a political party has a tenure, you come, you go, but the party should remain,” she added.
Usman expressed confidence that the upcoming convention would strengthen unity within the party.
“The Labour Party is not tied to any one person,” she said.
“By the time we gather for the convention, we will see a more united party.”