Peter Obi blamed for Labour Party crisis, says Edo chairman Ativie

The Edo State chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Elizabeth Ativie, has accused former presidential candidate Peter Obi of being the root cause of the party’s ongoing national crisis.

Speaking at a press conference in Benin City on Monday, Ativie dismissed allegations against the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, insisting that Obi’s actions created the divisions tearing the party apart.

Ativie argued that Obi’s failure to address post-primary election disputes across Nigeria was the “major cause” of Labour’s troubles, accusing him of undermining decisions made by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

She alleged that during the 2024 Edo governorship election, the NWC had agreed to zone its ticket to Edo Central in line with other major parties. However, she claimed Obi ignored the directive and personally endorsed Barrister Olumide Akpata as candidate.

“The problem in the Labour Party was created by Peter Obi,” Ativie declared. “His desperation to control the soul of the party has factionalised it. This is a man we risked our lives for during campaigns, yet he has chosen to bite the fingers that fed him.”

Ativie further alleged that Obi, alongside Abia State governor Alex Otti, convened an “illegally expanded stakeholders’ meeting” in Umuahia in September 2024 aimed at removing the NWC through “underhand means.”

The Edo chairperson accused Obi of lacking the “competence, character and capacity” to lead a new Nigeria, warning Nigerians to be cautious about his political ambitions.

Her remarks come amid growing tensions within the Labour Party, which continues to battle internal divisions ahead of the 2027 elections.