From Okwe Obi, Abuja

A former Presidential Aspirant of the Labour Party (LP), Faduri Oluwadare Joseph, has explained why the opposition party is in crisis.

Joseph, in a statement yesterday, claimed that it “is the consequence of the injustice, betrayal, and deceit done to me and my team in 2022, when some leaders of the party connived to rob me of the presidential ticket — a ticket we labored tirelessly to build — and handed it over to Mr. Peter Obi.”

He said: “I took it upon myself to appear on national television and newspapers, promoting the Labour Party to Nigerians, without the backing of any godfather.

“I encouraged party leaders to become visible, and we began to build a credible third force. By May 2022, before our primary election in Asaba, we had conducted congresses across the nation. From North to South, the party had come alive.

“But just five days before our primaries, those same leaders sold their conscience. They betrayed me and handed the ticket to Mr. Peter Obi in exchange for money.

“I was forced out of the race. I could have blocked the Labour Party from appearing on the ballot — and I had every legal and strategic right to do so — but I refused. I chose patriotism over personal interest.

“I told them then, and I say it again now: I was the David of that election, and I could have defeated every Goliath. But they allowed greed and personal gain to blind them. After I was unjustly removed, the peace and unity we had built collapsed. The party has not known true peace since.”

He cast doubt on the success of the party in the 2027 poll, stating that “the current Labour Party leadership cannot deliver the Nigeria we seek. They are transactional politicians, driven by money and self-interest.”

He argued that “From President Tinubu to Atiku Abubakar to Peter Obi — they’ve all had their time. It is time for them to step aside.

“Look at the global impact of young leaders: Barack Obama (USA), Emmanuel Macron (France), Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Ukraine), and right here in Africa, Ibrahim Traoré (Burkina Faso). Nigeria too needs young, selfless, visionary leadership.

“Our elders have done their best. Now, it is our time. I believe Nigeria — a country that has everything yet lacks everything — can rise again.

“It is time for a leader who is young, vibrant, intelligent, untainted by the system, and ready to take Nigeria to its promised land.”