The Labour Party’s National Working Committee, chaired by Julius Abure, has hailed the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress as a “liberation” for the party, expressing remorse over nominating him as its flagbearer in the last general election.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh confirmed this in a statement made in Abuja on Wednesday, only hours after Obi formally declared his defection in Enugu.
According to the LP leadership, Obi’s departure only confirmed a political split that had already occurred months earlier during the party’s long-running leadership crisis.
“The leadership of the Labour Party took note of the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and a few of his supporters to the African Democratic Congress.
“We also took note of the lackluster speech Obi made at the occasion and wondered what new things he intends to sell to Nigerians. For us in the Labour Party, we wondered why it took them this long to make the move because we have, since September 2024, parted ways with Peter Obi and some of his blind supporters in the National Assembly.
“We have patiently waited for this day. The party is finally liberated by this defection, and as party leaders, we count it as a blessing,” he said.
Ifoh stated that the party had repeatedly requested Obi and his supporters to quit if they could not work with the Abure-led leadership and that disciplinary action had already been taken against numerous parliamentarians associated with the former presidential contender.
“It will be on record that the leadership of the Labour Party had since urged Obi and his disgruntled followers to exit the party if they were unable to work with the leadership of the party.
“As a matter of fact, the party had suspended many of the lawmakers for anti-party activities and was clearly going to mete the same treatment on the presidential candidate but for the intervention of some well-meaning Nigerians,” he stated.
The statement also blamed Obi and the Abia State Governor for the internal crisis that rocked the party, accusing both men of sponsoring moves to unseat the current leadership.
“We had also expected Governor Otti to follow Obi out of the party. We are surprised that even though he has been suspended from the party, he is still loitering around. It is still not too late for him to follow his political leader,” the statement added.
The Labour Party also dismissed Obi’s defection rally in Enugu as poorly attended, claiming it was shunned by key political and traditional stakeholders in the South-East.
He said, “The party also warned that the charade that took place today in Enugu was largely boycotted by prominent political and traditional institutions in the Southeast. Southeast. All we saw were mere political spent forces who cannot win in their wards should there be an election today.
“This is clearly a danger signal that the Obi presidency (or vice presidency) is already a failed project from inception. He has clearly lost the charm that had endeared him to the people before 2023.”
In a broad attack, the Abure-led LP leadership claimed that Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign contributed to the South-East’s minor representation in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
“He must be told that the Southeast lost out completely in President Tinubu’s government because they trusted and believed in him in 2023. While some states of the federation boast as many as five ministers, all the states in the Southeast were given a paltry five ministerial slots.
“The marginalization against the zone has continued even in infrastructure allocation, and I wonder if the Southeast will repeat the same political harakiri.
“The party asks forgiveness from Nigerians for fielding an unfitting presidential candidate in 2023,” he said.
The Labour Party leadership concluded by appealing to Nigerians to give LP another chance, promising to present what it described as a better political alternative ahead of future elections.
“Finally, we urge Nigerians to watch out for the Labour Party. We gave Nigerians a candidate we thought was good for the nation in 2023, but time has since proved that we made the greatest political mistake.
“We plead for forgiveness from Nigerians. We are already working out the best prospect that we hope will bring Nigeria back to its glorious days,” he noted.
Chronicle NG reports that Obi formally defected to the ADC at an event held at the Nike Lake Resort, Enugu State.
Speaking at the venue, Obi called on Nigerians and opposition forces to unite under a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity, and democratic decline.”
The former Anambra State governor also accused the current political leadership of state capture, economic mismanagement, and the systematic erosion of democratic values.
