In a revealing interview with Trust TV, Comrade Umar Farouk, the National Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), has publicly voiced his deep concerns about the character and integrity of Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections.
His remarks mark one of the most direct criticisms of Obi from within the party’s leadership and suggest rising tensions behind the scenes.
Farouk did not mince words as he detailed his frustrations and disillusionment with Obi, stating that the former Anambra State Governor did not live up to expectations or the commitments he reportedly made during key internal discussions.
According to Farouk, Obi presented a promising vision to party leaders during their engagements but ultimately failed to follow through on the promises he made—a pattern the party secretary described as both disappointing and alarming.
“If you say I should speak frankly, I will say he didn’t seem to be the person that he says he is,” Farouk said during the interview. He elaborated that Obi made several verbal commitments to him and other senior figures within the party but failed to take action when it mattered most.
“When we had our discussion in the Labour Party, he said so many things to me, and he said so many things to us, and he swore to do this and that, and we have never seen him doing them,” he added.
One of Farouk’s major grievances was Obi’s alleged unwillingness to collaborate with certain individuals within the party, including himself and the LP’s National Chairman, Julius Abure. He claimed Obi allowed personal preferences and political biases to influence decisions, sidelining key party figures who were critical to the party’s structure and national outlook. Farouk interpreted these actions as an indication that Obi lacked the inclusive leadership style necessary to lead a diverse political movement.
“He doesn’t like the likes of Farouk. He doesn’t like the likes of Abure. He wants only certain people to be involved. That shows he is really not the man he says he is,” Farouk emphasized.
He went further to say that if given the chance to sit down with Obi face-to-face, he would not hesitate to confront him with examples of unfulfilled promises. “If I sit down one-on-one with him, I will tell him that, ‘Look, Mr. Peter Obi, you said this, and you did that. You said A, and you did Z.’ So how can I believe you? I won’t.”
Despite the growing popularity Obi has enjoyed among a significant portion of Nigerian youths, Farouk believes it is important to look beyond public perception. “Nigerians have the right to believe what they want to believe. If they like to believe what he says, I’m fine, but I honestly have every reason to say I don’t believe him because I have worked with him.”
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