Abure rejects Obi, weighs support for Tinubu, Atiku – Businessday NG

Julius Abure, immediate past National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has ruled out supporting Peter Obi for the 2027 presidential election, declaring his readiness to align with President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) or Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) depending on political interests and ideological considerations.

Abure said his decision would also depend on the outcome of the Supreme Court case over the LP leadership crisis, adding that he would consult his supporters before endorsing any candidate.

In an interview on Monday, Abure said he was prepared to negotiate with any of the major presidential contenders except Obi, whom he accused of squandering the goodwill and political structure that contributed to his 2023 electoral performance.

Obi contested the 2023 presidential election on the LP platform but lost to Tinubu of the APC. He subsequently joined the ADC before defecting to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), where he emerged as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

“We are open to working with any of the major candidates. I am very sure that I wouldn’t support Peter Obi for the 2027 general election. But I am open to an alignment with others. I don’t see any reason to support Peter Obi again. I will not. And I am saying this with conviction and without any fear of contradiction,” he said.

Abure also accused Obi and Alex Otti, Abia State governor, of undermining the LP leadership and dismantling its organisational structure from the ward to the national level.

Questioning Obi’s handling of the party crisis, Abure said, “If you can’t lead a micro, there is no way you can lead a macro.”

He predicted that Obi would perform below his 2023 showing, claiming he had squandered the goodwill, human capital and political machinery that secured him more than six million votes.

However, Idris Zekeri, Obi’s media aide, said the campaign had moved on from Abure. “We no longer talk about Abure. We have moved on from them,” he said.

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