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Labour party Tensions boil over as Obi,Faduri loyalists trade blows

Published by Tope Fakinlede on May 13th, 2025.

Labour party Tensions boil over as Obi,Faduri loyalists trade blows

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

A heated exchange has erupted between supporters of Peter Obi, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, and backers of party stalwart Joseph Faduri.

Faduri Joseph, Founder of Rescue Movement

Oluchi Opara, former National Treasurer of the Labour Party and Obi loyalist, stirred controversy when she accused so-called “failed politicians” of using Obi’s popularity to gain attention during the last election. She also dismissed Faduri, saying he was never a real candidate of the party.

Peter Obi

But Rev. Emmanuel Olorunmagba of the Rescue Movement for a New Nigeria fired back, accusing Oluchi of twisting facts. He insisted that Faduri was a legitimate presidential aspirant in 2022 who stepped aside for Obi under party pressure.

“It’s shocking that someone who managed the party’s treasury claims not to remember that Faduri paid for nomination forms,” Olorunmagba said. “There are even photos from the Asaba primary where Faduri and Pat Utomi raised Obi’s hand after stepping down for him. Would anyone force a non-candidate to step down?”

He also slammed the idea that Labour Party was pushing an ethnic agenda during the 2023 campaign. “That perception hurt us. Labour is a national party, not an ethnic movement. The Obidient wave started with the Rescue Movement, which Faduri helped build with Nigerians from all backgrounds.”

Olorunmagba urged party members to stop attacking each other and focus on unity. “If we want to challenge Tinubu in 2027, we must first fix our house. Divided, we go nowhere.”

He ended by calling on Oluchi to retract her statements and apologize, warning that false claims only damage the party’s future.