Many may prefer to call the Labour Party (LP) a child of necessity that came to full maturity at a time Nigerians needed a breath of fresh air.

The party is currently enjoying a widening national appeal as Nigerians seem to be fed up with the two prominent political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), who are directly linked to the governance failure peppering the country.

While the APC and PDP appear to be gradually losing their social base, LP seems to be solidifying its own, especially with Mr Peter Obi as its presidential flag bearer.

Again, with credibility deficit plaguing the APC and PDP, the LP has leveraged the huge vacuum created in the political landscape to feather its nest by riding on the #Obidient train and ultimately turning its story from obscurity to popularity.

Today, a sizeable number of youth and the working class are flocking to the LP and the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, says the development was consistent with its mission to promote and defend social democratic principles and ideals for the purpose of achieving social justice, progress and unity.

Unlike in the past when the presidential poll was a straight fight between the candidates of the nation’s two major parties, the APC and PDP, the reverse appears to be the case this time, with the unsettling emergence of Obi on the wings of LP.

Though Olusegun Mimiko, former Ondo State Governor, broke the jinx in 2009 to become the first Nigerian governor to be elected on the LP platform, the party had no stake at the National Assembly until the recent defection of a senator out of the 109 senators and two out of the 360 House of Representatives members.

According to Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi, a senator representing Imo East, who dumped PDP for Labour Party recently, Peter Obi has proven himself as a business man with high integrity, as a governor, who impacted his state, ensured stability in the once-hot political scene of Anambra and as a Nigerian who has capacity to enforce true change for all Nigerians.

Many say that the LP is now reaping bountifully from the calibre of Obi’s person, his integrity, practical solutions to Nigeria’s problems and love for the masses.

Abidemi Olosa, a former staff of Fidelity Bank, described Obi as Mr. Integrity and that the politicians are courting him because they know he can deliver and will not go out of his cool personality to give them trouble.

While the accolades reach a crescendo, it must be noted that the journey to ‘stardom’ for LP has not been a smooth one.

While it could rightly be assumed that the party is expected to be the traditional party of the working class and the other poor masses in society, where workers and other oppressed classes in society are very active in the running and the inner life of the party, it has not been the case in Nigeria.

The party has been enmeshed in leadership tussles that may have retarded its political growth since its establishment in 2002.

In 2018, the leadership crisis that rocked LP assumed a higher dimension, as one faction of the party led by Dr. Mike Omotosho, dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, before an Abuja High Court.

The faction, among other things, sought an order of injunction restraining the INEC from recognizing and dealing with one Alhaji Abdulkadir Salam as Chairman of the Labour Party, and the IGP from providing him with police protection.

While that simmered, a more destabilising monster reared its head when last month a Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, struck out a suit seeking the nullification of the primary elections of the Labour Party that produced Mr. Peter Obi and other flag bearers of the party contesting various elective offices in the 2023 general elections.

The national chairman has also been in and out of courts.

Political pundits wondered why the party stalwarts could risk entertaining misunderstandings that could erode the goodwill the party is currently enjoying, especially with the general elections on the horizon.

However, in a broader analysis, it is noteworthy that among those who “stepped down” for Obi at the Asaba Convention of the LP was Pat Utomi, who dedicatedly worked hard with other influential people to fortify the party and provide another platform outside the usual APC and PDP for Nigerians to choose their leaders from.

More so, there are currently pockets of crises rocking LP at state levels, the prominent ones being Enugu and Lagos states.

Just recently, the tussle over who emerged as the authentic governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Enugu State, disrupted a solidarity rally organized in the state in support of the party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.

Again, the Lagos State chapter of the Labour Party is embroiled in a leadership tussle with regards to the Chairman and governorship candidate positions.

The two positions were being held by Ifagbemi Awamaridi until recently when the party declared his membership invalid and proceeded to organise a fresh governorship primary which produced Gbadebo-Rhodes Vivour as the new candidate for Lagos.

Many have advised the party to quickly seal up all cracks to retain its base as it has a good chance of emerging victorious in the 2023 presidential election.

lhordspy:
Do not be deceived.

Who the gods want to kill. They first make mad


2023 is'nt far away both you, zombedients and your aclaim Saviour, peter should enjoy the social media buzz while it last.

Time shall tell, between the real voters block and the bunch of social media kids screaming pandora! pandora! pandora!

Truthisunique2:
All these are just social media self assessment.

The so called crowd they even masturbate on as 1million per state no dey reach 5k people walking in file

We saw how "ibadan youths" gathering surpassed the "1million" March by labour

Antimarraige:
All I know is that no be doll baby dey operate social media, na human beings.

I'm sure you get my point

Truthisunique2:
how many of the human get pvc

How many turn up for osun election when obi mobilize them personally

People go dey talk of voting block, social media no be voting block