In a recent interview with TV360 from 13:51, lawyer and public affairs analyst, Liborous Oshoma, expressed concerns over the leadership style of Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi. He criticized Obi’s perceived reluctance to reconcile with key party stakeholders amid ongoing internal wrangling, especially considering his prominence and the goodwill he enjoys within the party.
Oshoma pointed out that post-primary reconciliation is a norm in democratic politics, citing how the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have made efforts to mend fences after internal disputes. He highlighted how President Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited fellow aspirants like Yemi Osinbajo after the APC primaries, and how PDP’s Atiku Abubakar attempted reconciliation with Nyesom Wike despite their differences.
He argued that Peter Obi, who benefited from the Labour Party’s ticket under pressing circumstances, should have shown the maturity and initiative to unite warring factions within the party. According to Oshoma, Obi’s silence and seeming detachment from the party’s crisis may be fueling uncertainty about his current political affiliation and long-term intentions.
While acknowledging that Labour Party’s embattled National Chairman Julius Abure might have his flaws, Oshoma stressed that the responsibility of leadership rests on Obi, especially as someone who still benefits from the party’s platform. He lamented the absence of a reconciliatory effort led by Obi and questioned whether the former Anambra governor is even committed to the Labour Party anymore.
In his words: “After the APC primaries, we saw President Bola Ahmed Tinubu going round to visit all the members, Osinbajo and co, trying to reconcile because party is all about numbers. We have also seen PDP, despite the consistent backlash from Wike. We saw Atiku’s attempt to reconcile Wike with the party. We have seen them meet at the National Working Committee level. So one would have expected that Peter Obi being the Presidential Candidate of the party, who enjoys the goodwill of the party, who the party gave ticket to at the die minutes. Abure may have his nuances and shenanigans. Abure might have his problems, but as a party flag bearer — except he doesn’t want to use the party again — now I don’t know whether Peter Obi is in Labour or SDP or is in PDP. One would have expected he would be able to bring everybody together, sit at the round table and table their grievances.”
