Labour Party Denies Involvement in Ibadan Opposition Summit, Calls Reports ‘Misleading’

The Labour Party has moved to distance itself from the recent opposition summit held in Ibadan, with the party’s Deputy National Chairman issuing a formal denial of any involvement in the gathering or in consultations around fielding a consensus candidate against President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

The party described reports linking it to the summit’s consensus candidate discussions as “misleading and unfounded,” pushing back against what it called a misrepresentation of its political position ahead of the next general elections.

The Ibadan summit drew several opposition figures and produced a collective vow to unite behind a single candidate to challenge Tinubu in 2027. Labour Party’s denial suggests the party wants no part of that arrangement — at least officially.

But the denial lands in complicated territory. LP South-West leaders, including Abia State Governor Alex Otti, have been separately reported as expressing support for President Tinubu, deepening confusion about where the party actually stands. For a party already fractured by an internal leadership crisis — with Julius Abure’s faction at the centre of a prolonged dispute — the mixed signals are difficult to ignore.

The party also took aim at activist and critic Deji Adeyanju, asking him to “provide facts” to back up claims he has made against Labour Party. The statement appeared designed to deflect criticism from multiple directions at once.

A Party Holding Two Lines at Once

What this denial reveals is how complicated LP’s position has become. The party rose to national prominence in 2023 on the back of a genuine mass movement, but infighting and defections have steadily eroded that goodwill. For Nigerian voters who invested real hope in LP three years ago, the mixed messaging stings. The party’s base deserves clarity — not a string of contradictory statements.

Sources: ThisDay, Labour Party official website