2027: Major setback for LP as factional leader exits party with 5 million supporters

A major rift in the Labour Party (LP) deepened on Thursday, May 22, when factional stalwart Callistus Okafor announced his withdrawal from the party, claiming to have taken with him a staggering five million supporters.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Okafor declared the formation of a new movement, WaZoBia Nigeria, positioning it as a non-partisan alternative to the increasingly fractured LP.

“My own faction, we met and we said that this is the time. I hereby today announce to Nigerians… the 5 million Nigerians who are under my control, hereby today pull out from LP to team WaZoBia Nigeria,” Okafor stated.

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The former LP chieftain cited deepening internal divisions and a lack of cohesive leadership as reasons for the split, pointing directly at the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and party chairman Julius Abure.

“We have looked at where we just left and looked at His Excellency, Peter Obi. When he came to the party, he supported Abure, who has become his archenemy today.

“If Peter Obi had called me, LP would have gone into that election with one mind,” Okafor said.

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He criticised Obi for failing to unite the party post-election, remarking, “After the election, we expected that a man the media presents as ‘Mr. Right’ would bring us together. But this is not the time for sentiment.”

Okafor promised more details about WaZoBia Nigeria in the coming weeks, as political observers assess the impact of his dramatic departure.