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The factional Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Abayomi Arabambi, has said the party regrets endorsing Peter Obi as its presidential candidate for the 2023 general election.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Friday, July 11, Arabambi claimed that the LP made a miscalculation by choosing Obi over Faduri Oluwadare Joseph, a US-licensed nurse and entrepreneur with experience across multiple industries. According to him, Faduri would have offered a more effective approach to governance had he been elected president.
Arabambi also revealed that the party’s leadership is making plans to expel Peter Obi over his alignment with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition.
“Perhaps the most damning aspect of Obi’s candidacy was the ethnic polarization that marked his campaign,” Arabambi stated. “While Faduri stood out as a truly national figure with cross-regional support, Obi’s movement—whether deliberately or not—fueled tribal sentiments.”
He criticized Obi for what he described as a failure to unequivocally denounce the secessionist rhetoric of Nnamdi Kanu, and for showing selective outrage on national security issues. Arabambi accused Obi of framing national challenges through a partisan lens, which, he argued, revealed a parochial mindset at odds with his image as a unifying figure.
“Nigeria doesn’t need a president who excuses extremism for political gain,” he continued. “It needs a leader who upholds the rule of law while constructively addressing grievances—qualities that Faduri represents, and Obi lacks.”
He concluded by stating that the LP’s decision to sideline Faduri for Obi was “a blunder with lasting consequences.”
“Instead of a disciplined, visionary leader with a clear blueprint for national renewal, we presented a populist skilled at telling people what they want to hear,” Arabambi said. “As we approach 2027, Nigeria must not repeat this mistake. We need leaders like Faduri Joseph—those who understand that governance is not about slogans, but about substance, sacrifice, and structural transformation.”
