The Labour Party's interim national chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, has stated that Peter Obi cannot contest the 2027 presidential election under the party's banner due to legal restrictions tied to membership registration deadlines. She explained that the Electoral Act mandates the closure of the party's membership register 21 days before primaries, after which no new or returning members can be registered. In an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday, Usman described it as "legally impossible" for Obi to rejoin the party and run in the 2027 election if he is not already on the register by that cutoff. The former Anambra State governor was the Labour Party's presidential candidate in 2023.
Usman acknowledged Peter Obi's pivotal role in attracting members to the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 election, including herself. She revealed that Obi personally convinced her to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party, citing dissatisfaction with the PDP's refusal to zone its presidential ticket to the South. "Even me, he convinced me to come with him to the Labour Party," she said. Usman, a northerner, added that she believed the PDP's decision to back a northern candidate without formal zoning was unfair. The party's membership register must be submitted in electronic form to the Independent National Electoral Commission before the 21-day deadline.
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