The Interim National Chairman of Labour party, Senator Nenadi Usman, has dismissed any possibility of Peter Obi coming to run as the party’s flag bearer in the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, April 22, Usman made it clear that once the Labour Party closes its membership register ahead of its primaries and submits it to the Independent National Electoral Commission, no late entrance 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.”
Under Nigeria’s Electoral Act, political parties are required to submit their membership registers before conducting primaries. Once filed with the Independent National Electoral Commission (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 ran as the party’s Presidential candidate in 2023 and came third in the election, He has however dumped the party for the ADC where he hopes to clinch the party’s presidential ticket for the 2027 election.