The leadership of the Labour Party has described the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a development that has finally “liberated” the party, while also apologising to Nigerians for fielding what it admitted was an unsuitable candidate in the last general election.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the Labour Party said it had taken note of Obi’s exit from the party alongside some of his supporters, adding that the move did not come as a surprise to the party’s leadership.
According to the statement, the party had effectively severed ties with Obi and some of his loyalists as far back as September 2024, following what it described as prolonged internal disagreements and acts of indiscipline. The party said it had merely been waiting for Obi and his supporters to formally leave, describing the defection as a “blessing” rather than a loss.
The Labour Party leadership also criticised Obi’s speech at the event marking his defection, describing it as uninspiring and questioning what new political ideas he intends to offer Nigerians. The party said it had long advised Obi and his followers to leave if they were unwilling to work with the party’s leadership.
The statement further revealed that several Labour Party lawmakers had previously been suspended for alleged anti-party activities and that similar disciplinary action was being considered against Obi before the intervention of what it described as well-meaning Nigerians.
The party attributed its prolonged internal crisis to Obi and Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, accusing both men of sponsoring actions aimed at undermining the leadership of the party under Julius Abure. While expressing surprise that Governor Otti had not followed Obi out of the party, the Labour Party noted that the Abia governor had already been suspended and urged him to align openly with his political leader.
Commenting on the event held in Enugu to announce Obi’s defection, the Labour Party dismissed it as a “charade,” claiming it was largely boycotted by prominent political figures and traditional institutions from the South-East. The party alleged that those in attendance were political figures with little grassroots support, warning that the development signalled what it described as the collapse of Obi’s presidential or vice-presidential ambition even before it formally began.
The party further argued that Obi had lost the popularity that endeared him to many Nigerians ahead of the 2023 general election and blamed him for the South-East’s perceived marginalisation under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to the statement, the South-East suffered politically because residents of the zone trusted Obi in 2023, noting that while some states in other parts of the country were allocated up to five ministerial positions, the entire South-East received only five slots collectively. The party also alleged continued marginalisation of the region in terms of infrastructure development and cautioned against what it termed a repeat of past political miscalculations.
In a rare admission, the Labour Party apologised to Nigerians for its decision to field Obi as its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, admitting that the choice had turned out to be a major political error.
“We gave Nigerians a candidate we believed was suitable for the nation, but events have shown that we made the greatest political mistake,” the party said, while appealing for forgiveness from Nigerians.
The Labour Party assured the public that it is already working on identifying new political prospects capable of repositioning the country and restoring what it described as Nigeria’s lost glory.