The Labour Party has reignited the debate over opposition unity ahead of the 2027 general elections, as a faction loyal to Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti insists that only a united front can unseat President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking with our correspondent, the LP’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Prince Tony Akeni, urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to drop his presidential ambition and support Obi if he truly desires to rescue Nigeria from “the agony of misrule.”
“If Atiku can go deep inside his soul and demonstrate that he truly loves this country by standing up to support Obi for the presidency, he can then choose anybody of his choice—even his last born—as the vice-presidential candidate,” Akeni declared.
Describing opposition unity as the only remedy for what he termed “the tragedy of divided ambition,” Akeni said such divisions had repeatedly handed victory to the ruling party.
He accused Tinubu’s administration of being “overloaded with greed and defections,” warning that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was heading for internal collapse.
“Let Tinubu know that we of the Labour Party sympathise with him because he is carrying, with this decamping domino, a nest of soldier ants into his scrotum,” Akeni quipped. “When the crash comes, he should remember we said so.”
Akeni further praised Peter Obi’s leadership style, likening him to Singapore’s late Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, noting that with a team of patriotic Nigerians, Obi could replicate transformational governance.
Meanwhile, Atiku, who finished second behind Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, has dismissed suggestions of stepping down for Obi. Instead, he has called for a broad-based opposition coalition where leadership would emerge through consultation rather than personal sacrifice.
Reacting separately, the LP’s Deputy National Chairman, Ayo Olorunfemi, played down fears of a one-party state or democratic collapse before 2027.
“If there is no election, then there is anarchy. What we are seeing is politics. Nigerians made their choice in 2015, and they are living with the consequences,” Olorunfemi said.
The Labour Party, which gained prominence after Obi’s strong performance in 2023, remains split between the Julius Abure-led faction and the Obi–Otti group—a division that continues to shape its 2027 strategy.
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