National youth leader of the Labour Party, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, has emerged as the consensus presidential candidate of the Julius Abure-led faction of the party for the 2027 presidential election.
The 42-year-old was adopted at the faction’s presidential, governorship and House of Representatives primaries held in Abuja.
The development came amid the lingering leadership crisis within the Labour Party.
The party has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership tussle involving the Abure-led National Working Committee and a rival camp backed by prominent party figures, including Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti.
In his acceptance speech, Ahanotu pledged to work towards uniting the party and strengthening its structures ahead of the next general election.
“With a full sense of responsibility and unwavering commitment to our nation, I proudly accept the nomination of our great party, the Labour Party, as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections. With this consensus comes an even greater responsibility, and I pledge never to take that trust for granted.
“I look forward to working closely with all the candidates and other leaders and stakeholders across the federation to strengthen our party structures, deepen internal democracy, reconcile differences where they exist, and reposition the party. I call on all leaders, stakeholders, and members of the Labour Party to embrace unity, reconciliation, and collective responsibility. Our strength lies not in our differences but in our shared commitment to building a stronger party and a better Nigeria,” he said.
Ahanotu also welcomed reconciliation efforts within the party and expressed readiness to engage Governor Otti and other aggrieved stakeholders.
“I believe that Abia State Governor, His Excellency Dr Alex Otti, should be magnanimous in victory. I will reach out to him as the presidential candidate and find a way for us to reconcile the party. I believe in the more, the merrier. Currently, he is holding the position of governance as the elected governor of Abia State. This is why I believe he should be magnanimous in victory. The party is not meant only for Abia. It is a platform that has a political structure across the country. But making it look like an Abia project is not enough.
“So, we will reach out to him because I know he is a very sound person. I am sure he will reason with me on the need to work together. I am also using this opportunity to invite critical party stakeholders and members to allow us to continue from where we stopped.” he said.
According to him, the country was in urgent need of a departure from the old political order that had dominated governance for decades.
The party’s national chairman, Julius Abure, was represented at the event by the deputy national chairman, Ayo Olorunfemi, who formally announced Ahanotu as the party’s standard bearer.
He said, “Quite a number of aspirants showed interest in the presidential ticket. But the party settled for a young man. Having got these consensus votes and no opposition whatsoever, Prince Ahanotu is hereby returned elected as Labour Party presidential candidate.
