The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Labour Party (LP) has refused to issue nomination forms to Senator Tony Nwoye for the party’s April 5, 2025, governorship primary for the Anambra State election.
This move has sparked outrage among party members and political observers, with allegations that the party’s leadership compromised to support the re-election of Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
According to party insiders, the decision to block Nwoye’s candidacy was made during a recent NWC meeting, where it was concluded that issuing the nomination forms to Nwoye would give him a strong chance of winning the primary and potentially defeating Governor Soludo in the November 8 election.
The Labour Party had gained significant political ground in Anambra during the 2023 elections, securing two senatorial seats, seven House of Representatives seats, and eight House of Assembly seats.
Many expected the party to capitalise on these gains to challenge the dominance of APGA in the state.
However, the decision to deny Nwoye a chance to contest the governorship primary has left party supporters disillusioned.
Critics argue that the move reflects political maneuvering rather than a genuine commitment to change in Anambra State.
Political analysts have described the development as a setback for the Labour Party, which was seen as a rising opposition force in Anambra.
The APGA Interactive Forum (AIF Media) criticised the NWC’s decision, describing it as “unbelievable” and a betrayal of the party’s supporters.
AIF Media posted on his social media platform, “This Is very unfortunate. Labour Party is working for the reelection of Prof. Soludo. This is unbelievable.
“LP ought to be the strongest opposition party in Anambra state having won two senatorial seats, 7 House of Reps seats and 8 House of Assembly seats.
“But with these political gains in 2023, the Labour Party NWC has decided to work for the reelection of the APGA governor.
“It is sad, and hard to write down the latest decision of the NWC of the Labour Party.
“The National Working Committee of the Labour Party met few days ago and concluded that the party would not sell her nomination forms to Distinguished Senator Tony Okechukwu Nwoye to challenge Prof. Soludo on November 8th Anambra state governorship election.”
“Having compromised, the NWC said they would not give Senator Nwoye her nomination forms to contest the party primaries scheduled for April 5th,” AIF Media added.
With the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) struggling to regain influence and the All Progressives Congress (APC) weakened at the state level, the Labour Party was viewed as the most viable alternative for voters seeking change.
Political observers warn that the decision to sideline Nwoye could alienate a large segment of the electorate and weaken the party’s standing in the state.
The Labour Party has until April 10 to reconsider its decision. Failure to allow Nwoye to contest the primaries could have lasting political consequences for the party in Anambra State.
