Labour Party Vice Chairman Dismisses Weakness Concerns Following Peter Obi’s Departure

Labour Party’s Ceekay Igara argues that the party's 2023 success was due to its foundation, challenging Peter Obi to replicate those results on a new platform.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 20, 2026, 10:07 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Daily Post Nigeria

The Institutional Foundation of 2023

The National Vice Chairman of the Labour Party, Ceekay Igara, has pushed back against claims that the party’s influence is tied exclusively to its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi. In a recent interview on Arise TV, Igara argued that while Obi significantly increased the party's visibility, his performance was only possible because of the solid organizational foundation already in place. According to Igara, voters in 2023 assessed 19 different political options and chose the Labour Party because of the structure and platform it provided at a critical national moment.

Internal Rivalries and the 2023 Ticket

Providing insight into the party's internal dynamics, Igara revealed that Peter Obi’s emergence as the 2023 flagbearer was not an immediate or unanimous decision within the party. He noted that because Obi was a late entrant to the Labour Party, his candidacy was initially met with resistance from several established aspirants. Igara stated that it required significant diplomatic intervention from the national leadership to persuade other contenders to step down and unify behind the former Anambra governor. This history, he argued, proves that the party leadership was the primary driver behind the electoral momentum.

Aligning with Social Movements

Igara attributed a large portion of the party’s 2023 surge to existing civic engagement rather than a personality cult. He specifically cited the EndSARS movement as a pre-existing force that naturally aligned with the Labour Party because of the groundwork the party had done with youth and labor organizations. By positioning the party as the political home for these movements, the leadership was able to transform organic frustration into a structured electoral movement. Igara emphasized that the party’s ability to capture this energy was a strategic success of the institution itself.