A factional chairman of the Labour Party, Callistus Okafor, has said that the crisis rocking the party would affect the chances of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the next election.
Okafor, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH said, “Obi is my elder brother from the same Anambra State, but I respect Obi not because he is from Anambra State; I respect Obi for what he represents and the kind of a man he is. I tell you that Obi entering into the Labour Party has made the political party a third force.
“When you count the APC and the PDP, you will also count the Labour Party. In fact, Obi has made Labour Party the most popular party in Nigeria, in the whole world today.
“So, who wouldn’t want that? Why do you think I don’t want Obi? I want Obi. But the problem now is that you cannot build legality on illegality, it cannot stand, and you cannot build this house on a mud and expect it to stand. An acting National Secretary cannot sign a document that will make Obi the President.”
Asked whether the crisis is a threat to Obi’s ambition, Okafor said, :Like I said, this crisis did not start because of Obi. But I am open for discussion. All I am asking for is justice and for the right thing to be done. If they call for a roundtable meeting to discuss this, for the right thing to be done, for this thing to end; if they want it to end tomorrow, it will end tomorrow but on the condition that the right thing must be done.
“If Obi doesn’t do the right thing now, he will face the consequences tomorrow.”
