2027 Elections: “Why Peter Obi Cannot Rejoin, Contest In Labour Party”– LP Chair Explains
- Senator Nenadi Usman announces Peter Obi barred from Labour Party's presidential race in 2027
- Obi's return to LP is impossible due to Electoral Act membership deadlines
- Usman credits Obi for Labour Party's 2023 electoral success and her own defection
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja - The Labour Party’s interim national chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, Peter Obi, cannot rejoin and contest the 2027 presidential election under the LP platform.
Usman said Obi would be legally barred from contesting the 2027 election on the Labour Party’s platform.
The LP cited strict membership registration deadlines under the Electoral Act.
She disclosed that the Labour Party’s register would be closed 21 days before its primaries and submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
As reported by The Punch, Usman made this known during an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
“Well, it will be too late actually for him to come back because if you look at the act now, at some point we close the register.
“Once we close the register 21 days before primaries, submit the register, 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.”
Usman said Obi persuaded her to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 general election.
She acknowledged that the former Anambra State governor had been instrumental in the party’s 2023 surge.
According to Usman, she decided to leave the PDP because she believed that the party had failed to zone its presidential ticket to the south.
“Even me, he convinced me to come with him to the Labour Party. Convinced me and not just me, many people that are in the Labour Party today were convinced by, let’s join Peter, go to the Labour Party because we believed in equity and fair play.”
Labour Party announces 2027 preferred presidential candidate
Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was endorsed by the Labour Party, the platform where Peter Obi contested the 2023 presidential election.
Abayomi Arabambi, the national vice chairman of the Labour Party for the South-West, announced the development in an interview on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
According to Arabambi, the agreement to endorse Tinubu's second-term ambition was made with the knowledge of Governor Alex Otti, the party's only governor.
2027 election: Obi, Kwankwaso supporters dump Atiku
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that the supporters of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso unveiled the Obi–Kwankwaso Movement with nationwide structures ahead of the African Democratic (ADC) primaries.
The National Publicity Secretary, Justin Ijeh, described the coalition as a reform-driven platform uniting the Obidient Movement, Kwankwasiyya, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and ADC forces.
Former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s refusal to step down intensified tensions within the ADC as key contenders positioned for the presidential ticket.
Source: Legit.ng
