The Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, has firmly dismissed any possibility of Peter Obi running as the party's presidential candidate in the 2027 general election.
Closed Membership Register
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, April 22, Usman explained that once the Labour Party closes its membership register ahead of its primaries and submits it to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), no latecomer can be accommodated. “Well, it will be too late actually for him to come back because if you look at the act now, at some point we have closed 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,” she stated.
Legal Framework
Under Nigeria’s Electoral Act, political parties are required to submit their membership registers before conducting primaries. Once filed with INEC, alterations become legally constrained. Electoral lawyers note that failure to comply strictly with these timelines has previously led to candidate disqualification in pre-election litigation.
Obi's Political Future
Peter Obi served as the Labour Party's presidential candidate in the 2023 election, where he finished third. However, he has since left the party and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he hopes to secure the party's presidential ticket for the 2027 election.
