Breaking: Labour Party Moves to Expel Peter Obi Over Alleged Anti-Party Activities

The Labour Party has announced plans to expel its 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, over what it described as “anti-party activities” and alleged dual-party allegiance.

During a televised interview on Channels TV on Tuesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, disclosed that the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) would soon convene to formally recommend Obi’s expulsion. The decision, according to Arabambi, would then be ratified at the party’s national convention.

“We are convening a NEC meeting where he (Peter Obi) will be expelled,” Arabambi declared. “You know he was on suspension before, before he now went ahead to do the anti-party activities. You don’t go and join a political party and at the same time, you put your leg in another political party.”

TJ News Nigeria gathered that Arabambi accused Obi of associating with rival political factions and promoting interests outside the Labour Party’s constitution. According to him, the former Anambra State governor has aligned with what he described as a “yahoo yahoo coalition.”

“So, Obi will be expelled from our party. He’s no longer a member of our party,” Arabambi added. “It is not within his right to tell us that ‘I’m still a member of the Labour Party’ and at the same time be hobnobbing with what we call the yahoo yahoo coalition. We are not going to accept that.”

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Factional Crisis Within Labour Party

The latest development highlights ongoing internal divisions within the Labour Party. Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti are reportedly aligned with a faction led by Senator Usman Nenadi, which operates separately from the Abure-led faction controlling the party’s official headquarters.

Arabambi belongs to the faction loyal to the party’s embattled National Chairman, Julius Abure. This camp had earlier suspended key party stakeholders including Governor Otti, Senator Ireti Kingibe (FCT), and Senator Darlington Nwokocha (Abia Central) on similar grounds of alleged anti-party behaviour.

Background: Obi’s 2023 Presidential Bid

Peter Obi, a former vice-presidential candidate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defected to the Labour Party in 2022 and ran for president in the February 2023 general election. He garnered over 6.1 million votes, placing third behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Since the election, Obi has continued to maintain political visibility, speaking at public engagements and aligning with broader coalitions advocating for electoral reforms and democratic accountability. However, these post-election activities have now come under scrutiny by the Abure-led Labour Party faction.

Constitutional Implications

According to Arabambi, the Labour Party constitution mandates that NEC approval is required to initiate disciplinary measures, with final expulsion ratified at the party convention.

 

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“When you want to expel an individual who is a member of your party, but who is not doing things in tandem with your constitution, you go to NEC and you will recommend expulsion. Then the convention confirms it,” he explained.

Peter Obi Yet to Respond

As of the time of filing this report, Mr. Peter Obi has not issued an official response to the expulsion threat. Efforts to reach his media aides for comments were unsuccessful.

This latest episode is expected to further deepen the leadership and legal tussle within the Labour Party, which has been marred by internal rivalries since the 2023 elections.