LP crisis may hurt Peter Obi's chances if not resolved- Factional Chairman

Factional chairman of the Labour Party, Callistus Okafor, has warned that the prospects of Peter Obi becoming Nigeria's president in 2023 may be jeopardised by the ongoing crisis in the party.

Obi, whose popularity has continued to spread in the South and also among youths on social media, is one of the frontline candidates for next year's general election.

The former Anambra state governor joined the Labour Party after dumping the Peoples Democratic Party in May this year.

Meanwhile, the LP party is currently enmeshed in a battle for supremacy caused by factinalisation which predated the coming of Obi.

Although Obi's faction, led by Julius Abure, has been recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the other faction has taken the matter to court for redress.

Speaking on how the crisis may likely affect Obi's chances in 2023, Okafor noted that the candidate must work towards resolving the crisis so that it doesn't impair his presidential ambition.

Speaking to The Punch in an interview, the factional chairman clarified that the crisis didn't start as a result of Obi's defection to the party.

He said, "Like I said, this crisis did not start because of Obi. But I am open for discussion. All I am asking for is justice and for the right thing to be done."

Okafor expressed his readiness to end the crisis but insisted that the right things must be done for peace to reign.

He said, "If they call for a roundtable meeting to discuss this, for the right thing to be done, for this thing to end; if they want it to end tomorrow, it will end tomorrow but on the condition that the right thing must be done. If Obi doesn’t do the right thing now, he will face the consequences tomorrow."

Pulse reports that Obi is currently in an alliance talks with the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso.