Labour Party interim National Chairman Nenadi Usman has said Peter Obi cannot return to contest the 2027 presidential election on the party’s platform, citing legal and procedural limits tied to party membership registration.
Usman made this known during an interview on Wednesday, saying the Electoral Act and party rules would make it impossible for Obi to rejoin the party after the membership register closes ahead of the primaries. According to her, once the register is submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission within the required timeframe, no fresh entrant can be added to seek nomination.
She said the process leaves no room for late political returns, insisting any move by Obi to come back and contest under the party would face legal barriers. Her comments come amid continuing discussions over Obi’s political future and possible alignments ahead of the next election.
Despite the position, Usman acknowledged Obi’s role in the growth of the Labour Party during the 2023 election, noting he attracted many supporters and leaders into the party, including herself. She recalled joining the party based on shared beliefs about fairness and power rotation.
She also linked her exit from the Peoples Democratic Party at the time to disagreements over zoning, saying many who joined the Labour Party believed the presidency should have gone to the South.
Her remarks come against the backdrop of the Labour Party’s prolonged leadership crisis, which has triggered legal battles, factional disputes and defections since the last election. The struggle over party control has involved rival claims to leadership and court rulings that reshaped the party structure.
Recent judgments have backed the interim leadership under Usman, though legal disputes have not fully ended. The crisis has also affected the party’s structure and influence, with losses in membership and representation.
Obi had earlier pointed to internal turmoil in the party as part of the reason behind his exit. Meanwhile, the Usman-led faction has continued membership revalidation efforts and has already moved on preparations linked to the 2027 election, including zoning its presidential ticket to the South.