The Labour Party (LP) Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration has debunked reports of plans to dump Peter Obi as the party’s preferred presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Directorate said this in reaction to the viral report on the social media, which said the party had reconciled with the Apapa-led faction of LP where they agreed to field another candidate in the 2027 presidential election.

LEADERSHIP reports that Obi was the party’s candidate in the 2023 presidential election and he came third.

The disclosure was contained in a statement jointly signed by the LP Director of Mobilisation and Integration, Marcel Ngogbehei; Deputy Director, Media and Communications, Aju Elumelu, and Deputy Director, Strategic Engagement, Sheikh Rufai Al-Saddiq.

The Directorate acknowledged that there were efforts to reconcile aggrieved groups in the party, but no agreement has been reached ahead of the 2027 election with the groups.

The statement read: “The Leadership and members of our great party recognise the importance of this great admonition based on our African culture of ensuring peaceful coexistence among brothers and acknowledging the fact that there’s a bigger target – liberating Nigeria from the shackles of greedy politicians and building a nation that protects the interest of its citizens.

“The Pprty has decided to follow a peaceful approach to resolving the internal misunderstanding. This effort within the Labour Party and its successes has elicited different reactions; and also, we have seen an attempt by the opposition to make a false spin for their own selfish interest, misinforming the general public with the aim of causing more crisis in our party.

“For the records, this Directorate was set up to facilitate reconciliation and help mobilize and integrate Labour Party stakeholders toward electoral victory for our Presidential Candidate H.E Peter Obi come 2027.

“The Party Leadership recognised the need for unity and cohesion within the Party as a requirement for internal party stability and improving the winning chances of H.E Peter Obi in the coming 2027 elections. We have reached out through various channels to different stakeholders and discussions are still ongoing on various fronts; and we are also making great successes in this endeavour.

“To misconstrue this effort as against our presidential candidate is unfortunate and we can’t help those with this mindset. But to set the records straight, HE Peter Obi remains our Presidential Candidate for 2027 as ratified and all the Party Leadership are behind him and committed to his message of a New Nigeria.”