Former factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has acknowledged that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, brought significant prominence to the party ahead of the 2023 general election.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday, Abure said Obi’s entry into the Labour Party boosted its national profile, although he maintained that the party had already established itself as a viable political force before the former Anambra State governor joined.
According to Abure, the Labour Party and Obi contributed equally to the party’s success during the 2023 elections, describing the relationship as a “50-50 contribution.”
He said Nigerians were already searching for an alternative political platform, while the Labour Party provided a credible structure that attracted Obi and other politicians.
Abure noted that the party was not without achievements before Obi’s arrival, recalling that it had previously produced a governor and elected public office holders.
He also stated that several prominent politicians, including Pat Utomi and Alex Otti, had joined the party before Obi, adding that the Labour Party was already emerging as a third-force movement in Nigeria’s political landscape.
Abure said: “There’s no gainsaying the fact that Mr. Peter Obi brought prominence to the Labour Party.
“But to say very clearly, it is a ’50-50 contribution’. Nigerians were determined to have an alternative political platform to the other platforms. I want to believe that we created and made the platform available. We created that opportunity, and we brought our own credibility and platform to the party.
“I’m sure that that was what Peter Obi saw that attracted him to the party. The party wasn’t completely empty.
“You recall that the party had once had a governor before. We have had elected office holders before.
“And let me say this very clearly: even before Peter Obi came, a lot of prominent Nigerians had already joined the party. So, it was very clear that the party was already becoming the third-force political party in Nigeria before Peter Obi came.
“Don’t forget that politicians like Pat Utomi, Alex Otti and some other political heavyweights had already joined the party before Peter Obi joined.
“But I want to agree completely that he brought prominence, and we also complemented that. And that was what resulted in what we had in the 2023 general election.”
