The Labour Party has expressed indifference to the recent defection of some its members, claiming that their exit has made way for more committed and notable personalities to join the party.
National Legal Adviser Kehinde Edun stated that the party’s membership strength is growing daily, with more people joining than leaving.
He alleged that some departing members were working for opposition parties to create crisis within LP, according to NaijaNews.
National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh echoed this sentiment, attributing the internal strife to external forces.
He assured that the party’s national leader, Peter Obi, remains committed to reconciling aggrieved members and stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ifoh claimed that the opposition parties, APC and PDP, are fueling the crisis to prevent Obi’s emergence as president in 2027.
The party is working to retain its members and chieftains amidst the challenges.
He said, “There is no need to lose sleep over it. Things like this happen a lot in politics, especially in Africa. As they (chieftains) are leaving, more people are coming in. In fact, we have more people coming into the party without making noise about it.
“The truth is that some of these people leaving LP are working for opposition parties. What they are trying to do is create a semblance of crisis in our party. That is the situation they want to create so they can have an excuse for leaving the party.
“But as I told you, more people are coming in as some left. When five persons leave, 50 people come in. Our membership strength is getting bigger by the day. All this noise about people leaving us is sponsored to distract us. It is better to lose fats and gain muscle.”
He said, “I think some external forces are propelling this distraction and the NLC agitation. That is exactly what Peter Obi is trying to resolve. But I can tell you that Obi’s reconciliatory effort has not collapsed. It is having an effect. You know reconciliation does not happen in a day. It takes time, depending on the people on both sides.
“This in-fighting is happening because LP has already confirmed Obi as our candidate for 2027. It is the handiwork of the APC and PDP. All these fights are against Obi, not the party. They (parties) easily buy some members over to cause a crisis in the Labour Party because they don’t want Peter Obi to emerge as the president.
“That is why we are having all these issues you are seeing. But we are working seriously to hold on to our members and party chieftains.”
