The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee of the Labour Party said it would not impose punitive measures on its former presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, asserting that he was obviously being misled into betraying his party in favor of an “illegal” caretaker committee.
This was disclosed by the National Legal Adviser of the party, Kèhinde Edun, in an interview with The PUNCH.
According to him, meting out sanctions would not resolve the face-off.
Edun, however, expressed optimism that the former governor of Anambra State would retrace his steps. He said, “Obi is being misled. It is human to err, and we give respect to him as the leader. I understand there is so much pressure from everywhere, and we recognize that at the end of the day, the truth shall prevail.
“We might have a temporary situation where someone is confused as to the path to take. We won’t crucify him for that. So we are confident that it is only a matter of time; our leaders shall realize the truth and their mistakes. So it is clear.”
However, Obi’s media aide, Umar Ibrahim, stated that Obi was not being misled.
He said, “His Excellency Peter Obi is not interested in unending issues. He is interested in building a united party. So as long as they have respect for him, it’s good that they follow some of the laid-down rules and regulations of the party that can help us chart a way forward.
“That is exactly what we need to do. We should be able to ignore name-calling and all, but follow the provisions of the constitution of the party. As Obi usually says, if you want to be addressed as Excellency, you need to come through an excellent way.”
Last week, the Abure-led NWC had accused Obi and the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, of betrayal.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, at a press conference in Abuja, said it was disappointing that Obi and Otti would abandon Abure after he supported them in the 2023 general elections.
Ifoh lamented that rather than stand by the party in its trying moment, the two party leaders betrayed their trust by siding with the Independent National Electoral Commission.
