Amid the crisis rocking the Labour Party, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, the national secretary of the party, has stated that the party's presidential ticket is not reserved for anyone.
Ibrahim, who is displeased with Peter Obi's association with the leaders of the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC), maintained that the LP will open its 2027 presidential ticket to contest.
Speaking during an interview with Trust TV, Ibrahim said the LP will give Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed a chance to contest for president, adding that the party's 2023 Vice Presidential candidate is as qualified as his principal, Obi.
"Datti is qualified to contest for the presidency as good as Peter Obi. So, the seat of that candidacy is not reserved for anybody. It is open for a competitive contest.
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The LP chieftain added that Obi may lose the opportunity to represent the party as its 2027 presidential candidate if he continues to hobnob with the ADC.
"If Datti is willing to aspire for presidency and he wants to do that under the Labour Party, we will open it. Come and buy the form, mobilise his support and then get elected. But the only thing is that if those people didn't come back to us, they lose that opportunity because there's no way you'll continue to romance with other political party and then you still come back and your one leg is in the Labour Party. No, ab initio, you may be disqualified," he said.
This comes barely a week after Baba-Ahmed declared his interest in the 2027 presidential race, should Obi decide not to contest.
Although the LP's 2023 Vice Presidential candidate, the presidency is not a desperate pursuit for him; he reaffirmed his support for Obi, saying the former Governor of Anambra State deserves another chance to contest on the Labour Party's platform.
