The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has restated his commitment to the political party.
Obi, in a statement on Thursday, said he remains a committed and loyal member of the Labour Party, putting doubts about his loyalty to bed.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I remain a committed, loyal Labour Party member. That is my definitive response to all Nigerians who may be in doubt about my party affiliation in light of recent reports and conflicting interpretations of recent political expressions,” Obi said on X.
READ ALSO: Obidient Movement ‘beyond’ any political party — Peter Obi
“I have just been confronted by a journalist at Abuja airport wanting to know if my statement on the Obidient Movement yesterday is a signal of my leaving the Labour Party.
“For the attention of all those holding such an impression and for the general public, I remain a faithful, committed, and loyal member of the Labour Party.
“Indeed, as a leader of the party, my aspiration and desire, working closely with other leaders, is to reconcile our valued members and partner with like minds and parties all over the country to build a strong and better party that will catalyse and commence the rebuilding of a new Nigeria.”
Obi said his statement on Wednesday was intended to clarify some issues that are of concern to the teeming supporters of the Obidient Movement, some of whom are not members of any political party but are desirous of a new Nigeria.
As crises continue to rock the Labour Party over the status of the Obidient Movement, Obi had said that the Movement cannot be annexed by any political party.
Despite the party creating a directorate for the Obidient Movement and appointing eight ‘Obidient’ members to control its affairs, he stated that no political party can create a directorate for the Obidient Movement.
The principal mentor of the Obidient Movement in Nigeria indicated that the group is beyond a political party and cannot be annexed or subsumed into one.
A statement by his spokesperson, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, quoted the former governor of Anambra state explaining on his X handle on Wednesday.
“I want to categorically state that the Obidient Movement is not a directorate in any particular political party,” Obi was quoted as saying.
“Any individual or individuals claiming to be leaders of this non-existent directorate are simply not members of the broader Obidient Movement.”
LP spokesman, Obiorah Ifoh, had earlier explained the creation of the directorate as part of the party’s repositioning efforts to integrate millions of youths, particularly the ‘Obidient’ family, into the Labour Party.
However, in response to Obi’s clarification, the party renamed the Obidient Directorate as the Directorate of Mobilization and Integration.
