Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of orchestrating and sustaining the ongoing leadership crisis within the Labour Party.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Monday, Obi alleged that the turmoil engulfing the party is far from organic, but rather a product of political sabotage by those in power.
“This is what you get in Nigeria today, a country of propaganda and lies. The Labour Party crisis is not natural; it’s being engineered by those in power,” Obi declared.
Obi pointed to recent events and verbal clashes within the Labour Party as evidence of deliberate attempts to destabilise it. He criticised those who, in his words, “manufacture lies” to create disunity within the party and in the broader opposition movement.
“They manufacture lies and push divisions even within families. When you speak the truth, they call you names. But not everyone is weak,” he said.
He also referenced how some party figures have openly insulted state governors, calling them derogatory names such as “dwarf,” which he interpreted as a symptom of the wider dysfunction being promoted.
“When leaders within a party publicly mock governors, it shows the depth of the decay. This isn’t politics, it’s manipulation,” Obi said.
Ongoing Labour Party crisis
Obi’s comments come against the backdrop of a prolonged leadership crisis in the Labour Party that has seen competing factions and legal tussles over the party’s national leadership.
The internal disputes have raised concerns about the party’s stability, especially as it continues to position itself as a major opposition force following the 2023 general elections.
While the Labour Party leadership has consistently claimed unity and direction, several party members, including Obi’s supporters, have repeatedly expressed worry over alleged infiltration by political opponents.
Obi, who came third in the 2023 presidential election, reaffirmed his commitment to truthful leadership and urged Nigerians to resist the growing culture of propaganda and manipulation in politics.
“They want to wear you down with misinformation. But the truth has a way of surviving,” he stated.
