Labour Party Faction Moves to Expel Peter Obi Over Alleged Anti-Party Activities
The internal crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) has taken a dramatic turn, as Abayomi Arabambi, the party’s factional National Publicity Secretary, announced that a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting is being convened to formally expel former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, from the party.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, Arabambi accused Obi of engaging in anti-party activities by aligning himself with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), despite not officially resigning from the Labour Party.
He said the party would no longer tolerate what he described as “double loyalty” and political indiscipline.
“We’re convening a NEC meeting where Peter Obi will be expelled. You know he was on suspension before he went ahead to do the anti‑party activities,” Arabambi declared during the programme.
He further alleged that Obi’s open endorsement of the ADC’s coalition agenda, and his continued presence in LP activities, amounts to unconstitutional dual party membership.
“You don’t go and join a political party, and at the same time still put your leg in another political party,” Arabambi said. “It’s unconstitutional to belong to two political parties at the same time.”
Arabambi, a long-standing critic of Obi’s influence within the party, accused him of sowing division and destabilizing the party since his entry in 2022.
He claimed that Obi, alongside Abia State Governor Alex Otti and others, have operated as a parallel leadership structure within LP, undermining the authority of the party’s national leadership.
“Obi started the crisis in the Labour Party,” Arabambi alleged. “He is not fit to lead or remain in this party.”
While Arabambi’s faction insists Obi’s suspension and eventual expulsion are procedural and justified, other leaders within the party—particularly those aligned with LP National Chairman Julius Abure—have dismissed the faction’s legitimacy and insist that Obi remains a valid and influential member of the party.
Peter Obi, for his part, has denied defecting to another party. In a recent interview, he clarified that his endorsement of ADC’s coalition efforts was based on shared national interests and reform goals, not a formal move to join the party.
“I am still a member of the Labour Party,” Obi said. “My support for the broader opposition coalition does not mean I have left LP.”
This latest development marks a significant escalation in the internal struggle for control of the Labour Party, which has been divided by factional disputes since after the 2023 general elections. Obi, who garnered millions of votes and energized a new wave of young voters under the LP banner, remains a major political figure. His potential expulsion could further fracture the party and alienate key segments of its support base.
Observers say the crisis, if not resolved, may weaken the LP’s ability to position itself as a viable opposition platform ahead of the 2027 elections. It also raises questions about the sustainability of any future coalition if such internal fractures persist.
As the party prepares for the upcoming NEC meeting, the political future of Peter Obi within the LP—and the unity of the party itself—hangs in the balance.
