The Labour Party has acknowledged that the exit of its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, created a significant gap within its ranks.
Speaking on Monday, May 11, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, said Obi’s departure dealt a major blow to the opposition party.
“We can’t close our eyes to the fact that we lost Peter Obi, and he was a colossus within the party.
“So the last time I came here, I remember saying to…his departure left a void in the party,” Asogwa said
He explained that the party had anticipated Obi’s exit well before it became official on December 31 and had begun preparing to manage its impact.
“Before his departure, the rumour was already out there that he was leaving. Before he eventually left, the new leadership had already taken a number of steps to cushion the effects of that departure,” he stated.
Following Obi’s exit, Asogwa said the party reassessed its strategy and returned to rebuilding its internal structure and political strength.
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According to him, the Labour Party identified its strongest institutional backing in organised labour groups, particularly the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress.
“We discovered that the greatest potential that the Labour Party has is the institutional members it has in the name of NLC and TUC,” he said.
“We went back to marry them and successfully got them back. The former leadership alienated them, but thankfully we were able to bring them back into the fold.”
Despite losing a key figure, the party insisted it remains capable of producing a strong presidential contender ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The Labour Party that produced the former presidential candidate has capacity, even better capacity today, to produce someone of commensurate stature,” he added.
Obi had resigned from the Labour Party and aligned with an opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in preparation for the 2027 general election.
He has since moved to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), where he is now positioned as a leading contender after the party zoned its presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria at its convention on Saturday, May 9.