The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee of the Labour Party has described the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a “liberation”, saying the party regrets presenting him as its flagbearer in the last general election.
The party stated this in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, December 31, by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh.
According to the statement, Obi’s exit merely confirmed what the party leadership said had already taken place internally, following the prolonged leadership crisis within the party.
“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,” the statement read.
“We also took note of the lacklustre 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.”
Ifoh said the party had on several occasions advised Obi and his loyalists to leave the Labour Party if they could not work with the Abure-led leadership, adding that disciplinary measures had already been taken against some lawmakers aligned with the former presidential candidate.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
The party also accused Obi and the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, of fuelling the party’s internal crisis, alleging that both sponsored moves to unseat the current leadership.
The statement said the party expected Governor Otti to follow Obi out of the party, noting that he remained despite being suspended.
“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 further dismissed Obi’s defection rally held in Enugu, describing it as poorly attended and claiming that prominent political and traditional stakeholders in the South-East stayed away.
“The charade which took place today in Enugu was largely boycotted by prominent political and traditional institutions in the Southeast. All we saw were mere political spent forces who cannot win in their wards should there be an election today,” Ifoh said.
“This is clearly a danger signal that the Obi presidency or vice-presidency project is already a failed one from inception. He has clearly lost the charm that endeared him to the people before 2023.”
The party also criticized Obi’s 2023 presidential ambition, claiming it contributed to what it described as the South-East’s marginal position under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
According to the statement, the zone received fewer ministerial appointments and continued to face marginalization in infrastructure allocation.
“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 marginalisation against the zone has continued even in infrastructure allocation, and I wonder if the Southeast will repeat the same political harakiri,” the party said.
The Labour Party concluded by apologizing to Nigerians for fielding Obi as its presidential candidate in 2023 and said it was already preparing a better alternative ahead of future elections.
“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,” the statement added.
Peter Obi had earlier announced his defection to the ADC at an event held at the Nike Lake Resort in Enugu State, where he called on Nigerians and opposition groups to unite under a broad coalition to rescue the country from poverty, disunity and democratic decline.
