The Labour Party (LP) has distanced itself from remarks made by its embattled Lagos State Chairperson, Mrs Dayo Ekong, who claimed in a recent statement that the influence of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, is dwindling.
Ekong’s comments, released on Tuesday, suggested that Obi’s popularity had waned since the last general elections, arguing that his initial rise was influenced more by party structures and grassroots momentum than by personal political appeal.
“Peter Obi’s influence in the Nigerian polity appears to be waning, as Nigerians grow increasingly tired and wary of what some perceive as inconsistent antics and political manoeuvring.
“His interventions, once seen as principled, now risk being viewed as disruptive and self-serving, alienating allies and diminishing his appeal. This is not mere speculation; it is evident in recent electoral outcomes where his endorsements have failed to deliver victories, signalling a loss of the magnetic pull he once commanded,” Ekong said.
However, the Lagos State Caretaker Committee of the LP swiftly rejected her assertions, labelling them as “unauthorised, misleading, and self-serving”.
In a rebuttal issued on Wednesday, the Chairman of the committee, Rotimi Odunaike, emphasised that Ekong remains suspended from the party and has no authority to speak on its behalf.
“The attention of the legitimate leadership of the Labour Party in Lagos State has been drawn to recent unauthorised statements made by Pastor Mrs Dayo Ekong, who continues to impersonate and to masquerade as the Lagos State Chairman despite her formal suspension from the party on May 12, 2025 and despite several judicial pronouncements which are clear about the leadership situation in the party,” Odunaike said.
He accused Ekong of engaging in anti-party activities, constitutional violations, and gross misconduct during her tenure—actions he said contributed to the party’s failure to field recognised candidates in recent by-elections across Lagos.
Odunaike described her criticism of Peter Obi as an extension of her pattern of “self-serving behaviour” and warned party members and the public to disregard her remarks.
“It is particularly galling that the very individual whose reckless leadership, constitutional violations and engineered incompetence contributed directly to the premise on which INEC and LASIEC in Lagos State refrained—rightly or wrongly—from recognising our candidates in recent by-elections now has the audacity to blame others for electoral outcomes,” he said.
Obi, who came third in the 2023 presidential election but won in key states like Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, remains a central figure in LP’s political strategy heading into 2027.
His popularity among Nigeria’s youth and middle class was widely seen as the force behind the party’s rapid rise during the last election cycle.
“The timing and content of her statements reveal her true character. Rather than accepting responsibility for her role in weakening our party structure, she chooses to attack Mr Peter Obi, the same leader who delivered unprecedented electoral victories for our party in 2023, including a landslide 70 per cent victory in Imo State, before the saboteurs within showed their true colours,” Odunaike noted.
Odunaike reaffirmed the caretaker committee’s commitment to rebuilding the party under legitimate leadership, urging members to stay united and focused.
He also reiterated that Ekong’s suspension remains valid and binding,” adding that her ‘continued impersonation of a party official is both fraudulent and destructive.”
