‘I advised party leadership to consult stakeholders’ — Obi reveals why he didn’t attend LP convention

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, has revealed why he did not attend the national convention of the party.

On March 27, the LP conducted a controversial national convention in Anambra state, which re-elected Julius Abure as its national chairman.

Obi did not attend the convention, fuelling speculations that he may be mulling ditching the LP for another platform.

Speaking at a Spaces session on X (formerly Twitter) organised by Parallel Facts on Friday night, Obi said when the leadership of the party approached him regarding the convention, he advised them to consult key stakeholders first before proceeding with the event.

“We promised to build Nigeria, we did not promise to build a new Labour Party,” he said.

“When the chairman approached me about the convention, I appealed to him to consult all stakeholders, starting from governor Otti, vice-presidential candidate Datti, to senators, house of reps members, gubernatorial candidates, and all other groups, for us to have NLC, TUC.

“It is documented for us to have a properly organised convention, starting with congresses, because we have to organise ourselves at the grassroots, where we have problems. It is after we organise ourselves that we can go into the convention.”

Obi also explained why he did not comment on the allegations of misappropriation of funds against the national chair of the party.

“It is because we have written to a competent, qualified auditor to audit the accounts of the Labour Party and our campaign,” he added.

The former Anambra governor also said he is still a member of the LP, stating that he will never engage in anti-party activities.