Dr. Ayo Olorunfemi, the Deputy National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has advised Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, to dismiss any suggestions urging him to abandon the party before the 2027 elections.

Speaking in Lagos on Sunday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, Olorunfemi — who contested the 2024 Ondo State governorship election on the LP platform — stressed that Obi’s focus should be on strengthening the Labour Party instead of seeking new political alignments.

Although he acknowledged Obi’s legal right to associate with any political group, Olorunfemi warned him to be cautious of what he described as “dangerous advances.”

He emphasized, “Now that he has contested and he has seen the LP force, if he decides to go to another political party, it will then speak volumes of his intention.

It will tell whether he truly believed in the ideology of the Labour Party before coming to run, or he just wanted to use the opportunity of the platform.”

Olorunfemi added that Obi’s future moves would be closely scrutinized by the Nigerian electorate:
“So, it will now be left for Nigerians to decide whether Obi, who got millions of votes under the Labour Party, can still be voted for under the PDP or another party.”

Giving personal advice, Olorunfemi continued, “He (Obi) must use his tongue to count his teeth. If I were he, what I would be doing now is working to restore peace in the Labour Party and rebuild it.

He should find a way to resolve the issues in the party and remain on the platform. He should remain in the party and restore peace. He should stay and resolve the crises he and others created in LP.”

He cautioned that defecting to another party would present Obi as just another career politician:
“Moving around will portray him as an opportunistic politician, not different from these politicians jumping here and there.”

Olorunfemi, reflecting on the internal challenges facing the Labour Party, insisted that Obi still had the influence needed to heal the party’s divisions.

He recalled how several aspirants stepped aside in 2022 to make room for Obi’s presidential run under the LP banner.

Nonetheless, he stressed that the party would endure even if Obi chose to leave, maintaining its role as a vibrant opposition force.

Addressing the ongoing leadership rift within the Labour Party, Olorunfemi defended the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC), insisting they had committed no wrong against Obi or his supporters.

He pointed out that the NWC had risked both personal safety and political standing to back Obi during the 2023 election:
“What is the offence of Abure? He stood in the sun, stood in the rain. All of us in the NWC stood by him (Obi). In spite of all the attacks, we stood by him.

My own people, in the course of fighting for him (Obi), called me names for fighting for someone not from my tribe. LP is blind to ethnicity, and I supported him because I believe in politics devoid of ethnic sentiment.”

While admitting that political organizations naturally experience internal conflict, he stressed that LP’s actions have remained constitutional:

“There is bound to be a crisis. People will come with different things in mind, but we have to moderate everything like we are doing now in LP.

Everything we are doing in the Labour Party is in line with our constitution. That is our strength.”

Olorunfemi concluded by inviting critics to challenge the NWC’s decisions through constitutional means:
“Anybody who wants to challenge the authority of the NWC should challenge it to the constitution.

They should show us the aspect of the constitution that has been violated. If they confront us with the facts, then we will agree with them.”

The Labour Party has been grappling with leadership struggles since its defeat in the 2023 presidential election, which has continued to test the unity of the party.

ROAMAN NEWS

Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has forecasted a mix of thunderstorms and hazy weather conditions for several states across the country from Sunday through Tuesday.

In a weather bulletin released on Saturday in Abuja, NiMet announced, “There will be moderate dust haze in states like Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Kano, Yobe, and Jigawa.”

The agency further indicated that isolated thunderstorms are likely in Adamawa and Taraba States over the forecast period, according to a post made on its X account.

For the North-Central zone, NiMet predicted partly cloudy skies during the morning hours.

However, by afternoon and evening, areas including the Federal Capital Territory, Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Benue States might experience isolated thunderstorms.

Southern Nigeria is expected to see morning thunderstorms in Lagos, Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States. Thunderstorms could also become more widespread across other southern states later in the day.

Moving into Monday, the forecast suggests that most parts of the North will experience predominantly sunny weather.

Nonetheless, morning thunderstorms could occur in parts of Taraba and Adamawa. As the day progresses, thunderstorms may develop in Kaduna, Bauchi, and Gombe States.

Meanwhile, in North-Central Nigeria, thunderstorms are anticipated during the morning hours in Plateau, Nasarawa, and Benue States, with an increased chance of further storms later in the afternoon and evening.

For the South on Monday, Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Edo States are projected to face morning thunderstorms, with the likelihood of even more rainfall in the afternoon across numerous southern locations.

Looking ahead to Tuesday, NiMet said, “sunny weather with some clouds in the North, along with morning thunderstorms in parts of Adamawa and Taraba States.” Later in the day, parts of Kaduna, Adamawa, and Taraba could also be hit by thunderstorms.

In the North-Central region, partly cloudy mornings are expected, but afternoon and evening thunderstorms may develop in the Federal Capital Territory, Kogi, Kwara, Benue, and Niger States.

Across the South, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Bayelsa States are forecasted to experience early morning thunderstorms, with continued rainfall activity expected throughout the day across the region.

NiMet urged the public to remain cautious, warning that strong winds could precede thunderstorms in certain areas. Residents of the North were also advised to be vigilant against the health risks posed by airborne dust particles.

Furthermore, airline operators were encouraged to stay updated with the latest weather information from NiMet to ensure safe flight operations.

ROAMAN NEWS