Peter Obi Emerges Labour Party Presidential Candidate As Utomi Steps Down

Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has emerged as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

His emergence as the party’s flagbearer follows his victory at the presidential primary of the Labour Party.

The party conducted the primary for its presidential ticket on Monday in Asaba, Delta State capital.

A total of 185 delegates had been accredited to vote in the exercise to elect one of four aspirants seeking to clinch the party’s presidential ticket.

Mr Obi He later won the contest following his emergence as the sole contestant, after his three co-contenders announced their decision to step down for him.

The other presidential hopeful who stepped down were a political economist and management expert, Professor Pat Utomi, Olubusola Emmanuel-Tella, and Faduri Joseph.

Utomi said he was stepping down a younger aspirant with the capacity to effect the needed change in the Nigerian system.

He said the time of the liberation of Nigeria has began with the LP primaries.

Another aspirant, 45-year old Joseph Faduri had earlier made his speech but mounted the podium again to also step down for the former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi.

Until his resignation, he was one of the 15 aspirants vying for the presidential ticket of the PDP, of which the party’s primary is expected to hold on May 28 and May 29 in Abuja.

The Director-General of Obi Campaign Organisation, Dr Doyin Okupe, said that Obi is not desperate to become the president of Nigeria but to offer solutions to problems bedevilling the country.

Okupe, who was Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, had said,
“You will recall that consistently former Governor Peter Obi has repeatedly stated that he’s not desperate to be President,

“He is desperate to cause a change, to cause a redirection, to change the way the government of Nigeria is being run. It is for this reason and to offer solutions to the various problems of Nigeria.

“It was for these reasons that he entered into the race. According to what he said in his letter, various development in the PDP makes it virtually impossible for him to find the full expression of his desire on the platform of the PDP.

“This is not to say that all hopes are lost. I can say on his behalf that Nigerians must not give up, we must never give up.”