Interim Chair Nenadi Usman Rules Out Peter Obi’s 2027 Candidacy Under Labour Party Platform

LP Interim Chair Nenadi Usman states Peter Obi cannot contest 2027 on the party's ticket due to membership deadlines and legal constraints under the Electoral Act.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 23, 2026, 5:57 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Punch

Legal Barriers to Candidacy

The Labour Party (LP) has signaled a definitive break from its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi. In a televised interview with Arise TV, interim national chairman Senator Nenadi Usman explained that the Electoral Act mandates a specific window for membership registration that Obi has already missed for the upcoming cycle. According to Usman, the party's electronic register must be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 21 days before any primary election. Because Obi is no longer a registered member, Usman asserted that he cannot "come from behind the door" to register and contest, as the legal window for inclusion has effectively shut.

Internal Leadership Turmoil and Legal Rulings

This declaration comes amid a prolonged and bitter leadership struggle within the Labour Party. The party is currently split between Usman’s caretaker committee and a faction led by former chairman Julius Abure. However, recent legal developments have favored Usman’s group; the Supreme Court ruled in April 2025 that Abure’s tenure had expired, and the Court of Appeal recently affirmed Usman as the interim chair. Despite Abure’s intent to appeal to the Supreme Court, Usman’s committee has taken control of the party’s national secretariat in Abuja and has already begun membership revalidation and zoning the 2027 ticket to the south.

The Fallout of the 2023 Surge

Nenadi Usman acknowledged that Obi was the primary driver of the party’s significant electoral gains in 2023. She revealed that Obi himself had convinced her and many others to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the LP, primarily over disagreements regarding the PDP's failure to zone its presidential ticket to the southern region. However, the momentum of 2023 has been largely eroded by mass defections, a shrinking presence in the National Assembly, and a weakened grassroots structure—factors that Obi himself cited as reasons for his eventual departure from the party.