THIS DAWN — The Labour Party (LP) has formally launched an ambitious nationwide membership mobilisation and revalidation drive targeting 10 million Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party also unveiled a detailed timetable for ward, local government, state, zonal congresses and a national convention scheduled for February 28, 2026.
The initiative, tagged “LP-Connect: 10 Million Nigerians,” was officially unveiled in Abuja on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, under the supervision of the party’s National Steering Committee on Mobilisation and Membership Revalidation.
The committee is chaired by Abia State Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, who is also a member of the Labour Party’s National Executive Council.
According to a mobilisation bulletin issued by the Office of the National Youth Leader, the exercise is being conducted pursuant to the Electoral Act 2022, the Labour Party Constitution (2019 as amended), and relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
The schedule outlines a structured sequence of activities beginning with the unveiling of the mobilisation drive on December 17, 2025, and closing with an all-inclusive national convention on February 28, 2026.
Under the timetable, membership registration and revalidation will run nationwide until January 10, 2026.
Ward congresses across Nigeria’s 8,815 wards are scheduled for January 13, followed by local government congresses in the country’s 774 local government areas on January 17.
State congresses will hold on January 24 across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, while zonal congresses and delegates’ elections are slated for January 31.
The exercise culminates in a national convention on February 28, 2026, which party leaders describe as expansive and inclusive.
Labour Party stepping out of the woods
The mobilisation drive is being led by a faction of the Labour Party aligned with the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, and other reform-minded leaders within the party.
It comes against the backdrop of prolonged internal crises, leadership disputes, and court battles that have fractured the opposition party since the last general election.
Speaking virtually at the launch, Acting National Chairman of the party, Senator Nenadi Usman, acknowledged the turbulence that has beset the Labour Party.
Senator Usman, however, expressed confidence that the party was turning a corner.
She said most of the leadership disputes had been resolved through the courts, with only a few matters still pending.
“As we prepare to enter the election season next year, the Labour Party considers it both necessary and strategic to reposition, reorganise, and strengthen itself for the bigger responsibilities and opportunities that lie ahead,” Usman said.
She disclosed that the party had formally communicated the timetable for the membership exercise and congresses to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
She added that the electoral umpire had acknowledged receipt of the notice, in line with legal requirements.
Inclusivity and attention over speed
Acting National Secretary of the party, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, reinforced this position.
Nwokocha stated that the leadership had followed due process in engaging INEC and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He explained that newly registered members would be eligible to vote at the congresses, culminating in the national convention.
Responding to concerns about the pace of internal reforms, Nwokocha said the party prioritised inclusivity and attention to detail over speed.
“We are determined to carry Nigerians along and not rush through a process that is meant to strengthen internal democracy,” he said.
Social activist and Obi ally, Aisha Yesufu, used the occasion to urge Nigerians to actively participate in politics/.
Yesufu warned that political disengagement had worsened national decline.
She argued that meaningful change could only occur through sustained civic and political involvement.
Chairman of the National Steering Committee, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, described the 10 million membership target as a national call to action, rather than a mere numerical goal.
He pledged to build an inclusive and transparent party structure and called on members to return to their wards and communities to strengthen grassroots organisation.
The development comes barely a month after the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party announced a parallel nationwide membership registration and revalidation exercise.
It also underscores the continuing internal contestation within the opposition party as it prepares for the 2027 polls.
