Peter Obi Is Recognised Presidential Candidate Of Labour Party — INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that Pe­ter Obi is the recognised presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP).

This is as INEC’s National Com­missioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, said that the commission was unaware of any faction in the party.

Okoye said the commission only identifies with Julius Abure as the chairman of Labour Party.

It was Abure that conducted the May 30, 2022 primary that produced Obi as the presidential candidate of LP for the 2023 general elections.

“The Independent National Elec­toral Commission has in its docket of all the national chairmen and national secretaries of all the registered political parties in Nigeria. the list and verified signatures

“As (at) today, the commis­sion is not aware of any fac­tion in the Labour Party.

“The person whose name is on the docket of the Inde­pendent National Electoral Commission as the national chairman of the Labour Party is one Julius Abure.

“He’s the one that the com­mission recognises as the na­tional chairman of the Labour Party.

“It was the same Julius Abure that utilised the pro­visions of section 82 of the Electoral Act 2022 to give the Independent National Elector­al Commission the statutory 21-day notice of their intention to conduct congresses and primaries for the purposes of electing their candidates at various levels.

“Now the same Julius Abu­re was the one that gave the commission the notice to the effect that the Labour Party was going to conduct its pres­idential primaries in Asaba and the Independent Nation­al Electoral Commission sent monitors to go and monitor the presidential primaries of the Labour Party that held in Asaba.

“As of today, the commis­sion does not have any infor­mation relating to the person who is claiming to be a faction­al chairman,” he said.

Obi emerged as the pres­idential candidate of LP at its national convention and presidential primary in Asa­ba, Delta State on May 30, af­ter other aspirants, including Pat Utomi, stepped down for him.

However, another faction of LP held another primary on Wednesday, June 8 in Abuja, producing Jude Ezenwafor, a former Senior Special Assis­tant on Political Matters to Obi as its presidential candidate.

INEC has now clarified that it has had no association with the new faction, led by Calistus Uju Okafor.

“We have not had any form of communication from him or from any of the members of his faction.

“So, to that extent, and as far as the commission is con­cerned, the Labour Party is not factionalised.

“The national chairman that the commission recog­nises is Julius Abure, and it is Julius Abure that the com­mission has given the access code to the Candidate Nomi­nation Portal for the 2023 elec­tion,” INEC’s National Com­missioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, said.

“That access code will be the only code that will lead any individual to the portal where the personal particulars of nominated candidates will be uploaded for this election”, he said.