Obi vows to address discord in Labour Party, pleads with NLC to sheath sword

.Says reconciliation with Apapa group good  for party

Chigozie Ikpo, Abuja

The National Leader of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has tasked the leadership of the party to continue in its efforts towards reconciling all aggrieved party members and supporters, even as he vowed to ensure that every discord within the party will be addressed in no distant time.

The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election also pleaded with the NLPTC protesters led by Abdul Waheed Umar, who stormed the national headquarters of the party to sheath their swords and take the option of achieving their demands through legal means.

Peter Obi who attended the National Working Committee of the Labour Party on Tuesday at the party secretariat also commented on the reported reconciliation between the party and its estranged former leaders, led by former Deputy National Chairman, Lamidi Apapa insisting that the reconciliation was for the greater good of Labour Party, stressing that a family do not fight forever.

He said, “Let me tell you one thing, their reconciliation is all about our party and I can assure you that everyone must reconcile with each other.”

On why he attended the NWC, Obi said that he was early at the party Headquarters to initiate a peace and reconciliation process in the party hence the brouhaha involving a  faction of Labour Party groups.

“During our meeting before we learnt that our people were outside, I told them that my first assignment was reconciliation, my second assignment was reconciliation and my third assignment, reconciliation and I can tell you that what you witnessed earlier is a normal thing in our lives, I do the same thing. It is what I do every day even in our families. When we quarrel with our wives and children, we reconcile. Even today during the meeting, I made one instance which is that I have come to start the work of reconciling the family.

“So these people here are members of the family who we must reconcile with. We are going to sit down around a table and decide the future of our party. I am ready for a reconciliation meeting any day you choose.

“And I like what happened here today. This means we have just started the reconciliation process and what we achieved today was so much, as I told you sometimes it happens in my house and I allow it because that is the only way I know how mature my children have become.”

Earlier in his speech, Abure expressed satisfaction on the leadership roles Obi has been playing in the party in making sure that the party returns to a formidable entity capable enough to engender the new Nigeria hoped for.

He said, “Labour Party is happy with your reconciliation project and we will give you all the support. We are not the aggressor here, we have always wanted peace because we can’t  go into  future elections with a divided loyalty.

“We  have said that we are focused on 2027, that is why we are the only party that has produced its candidate for the 2027 presidential election. We know where we are going and we have refused to be distracted. We will definitely get to our destination of giving Nigerians a better nation.” Abure concluded