The Labour Party’s interim national chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, has stated that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, could be legally barred from contesting the 2027 election on its platform due to strict membership registration timelines under the Electoral Act.
Usman made the remark during an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, explaining that the party’s register would be closed ahead of its primaries in compliance with electoral guidelines.
“Once we close the register 21 days before primaries, submit the e-register to INEC, you can’t come from behind the door for us to register you and for you to contest the elections. That would be impossible, legally impossible anyway,” she said.
She noted that Obi had played a significant role in the Labour Party’s rise in the 2023 general elections, adding that many members, including herself, were persuaded to join the party during that period.
“Even me, he convinced me to come with him to Labour Party. Not just me, many people that are in Labour Party today were convinced by, let’s join Peter, go to Labour Party because we believed in equity and fair play,” she said.
Usman said her own departure from the Peoples Democratic Party was driven by concerns over zoning ahead of the 2023 presidential election, arguing that the PDP failed to zone its ticket to the South.
She explained that although she is from the North, she supported zoning the presidency to the South as a matter of fairness.
The Labour Party has been engulfed in a prolonged leadership crisis since its strong showing in the 2023 elections.
The dispute has centred on rival claims to the national chairmanship between Usman’s caretaker committee and the faction led by former chairman Julius Abure, each accusing the other of illegitimacy.
In April 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that Abure’s tenure had expired, while a Federal High Court in Abuja subsequently removed him and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Usman’s committee as the legitimate leadership pending a national convention.
Following the ruling, Usman’s faction took control of the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, amid allegations of vandalism and document theft directed at Abure loyalists.
The Court of Appeal recently upheld Usman’s position as interim chairman, instructing INEC to engage only with her faction. Abure has indicated plans to appeal the ruling at the Supreme Court.
The internal crisis has significantly weakened the party, leading to defections, reduced representation in the National Assembly, and strained grassroots structures.
Obi has previously pointed to the ongoing leadership dispute as one of the reasons for distancing himself from the party’s internal affairs, while Usman’s faction has begun membership revalidation and reportedly zoned the 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
