Former factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has acknowledged that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, played a major role in boosting the party’s national prominence ahead of the general election.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Abure said Obi’s entry into the Labour Party significantly elevated its visibility, although he maintained that the party already had an existing structure before Obi joined.
According to him, the party and Obi both contributed to its success in what he described as a shared effort during the 2023 elections.
“There’s no gainsaying the fact that Mr. Peter Obi brought prominence to the Labour Party.
“But to say very clearly, it is a ’50-50 contribution’. Nigerians were determined to have an alternative political platform to the other platforms. I want to believe that we created and made the platform available. We created that opportunity, and we brought our own credibility and platform to the party.
“I’m sure that that was what Peter Obi saw that attracted him to the party. The party wasn’t completely empty.
“You recall that the party had once had a governor before. We have had elected office holders before.
“And let me say this very clearly: even before Peter Obi came, a lot of prominent Nigerians had already joined the party. So, it was very clear that the party was already becoming the third-force political party in Nigeria before Peter Obi came.
“Don’t forget that politicians like Pat Utomi, Alex Otti and some other political heavyweights had already joined the party before Peter Obi joined.
“But I want to agree completely that he brought prominence, and we also complemented that. And that was what resulted in what we had in the 2023 general election.”
Abure noted that Nigerians were already seeking an alternative political platform before Obi’s arrival, stressing that the Labour Party provided the structure that helped channel that demand into electoral success.
He maintained that the party had earlier recorded achievements, including producing elected officials, before becoming a major national force in the build up to the 2023 elections.
