The interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, Nenadi Usman, has stated that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, may be constitutionally ineligible to contest under its platform in the 2027 elections due to strict membership registration timelines outlined in the Electoral Act.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, Usman explained that the party’s membership register would be closed 21 days before its primaries and subsequently submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to her, this timeline makes it legally impossible for any aspirant to join the party shortly before the primaries and still be eligible to contest.
“Well, if you look at the act now, we close the register at some point, so it will be too late for him to come back,” she said.
“You cannot come from behind the door to register and run for office. We must close the register 21 days prior to the primary and submit the e-register to INEC. That would not be feasible, at least not legally.”
Usman acknowledged Obi’s significant role in the party’s performance during the 2023 general elections, noting that he had also influenced her decision to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Labour Party ahead of the polls.
She said her defection was driven by concerns over the PDP’s failure to zone its presidential ticket to the South, a move she described as unfair.
“We believed the PDP should have zoned the seat to the South. But since they left it open and were trying to field a northerner, we felt it was not fair. Though I’m a northerner, I believed it was not fair,” she added.
The Labour Party has faced persistent internal challenges since the 2023 elections, including a prolonged leadership dispute between Usman’s caretaker committee and the faction loyal to former national chairman, Julius Abure.
The Abure camp had accused the caretaker committee of executing an незаконный takeover of the party’s leadership. However, following a Supreme Court ruling in April 2025 which declared the end of Abure’s tenure, a Federal High Court in Abuja affirmed Usman’s committee as the legitimate leadership pending a national convention.
Subsequently, the Court of Appeal upheld Usman’s interim leadership and directed INEC to recognise only her faction. Despite the rulings, Abure has indicated plans to approach the Supreme Court, leaving the legal tussle unresolved.
The crisis has reportedly weakened the party, resulting in defections, reduced representation in the National Assembly, and diminished grassroots structures.
Obi, for his part, had earlier attributed his exit from the party to the lingering internal crisis. Meanwhile, Usman’s leadership has commenced a membership revalidation exercise and indicated that the party’s 2027 presidential ticket has been zoned to the South.