The national leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has described the recent departure of its 2023 presidential flagbearer, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a moment of liberation for the party. In a strongly-worded statement, the party expressed deep regret for presenting Obi as its candidate in the last general election.
A Long-Awaited Exit
In a release issued in Abuja on Wednesday, December 31, by the party's National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the Labour Party stated that Obi's move merely confirmed an internal separation that had already occurred. The party claimed it had parted ways with Obi and some of his supporters in the National Assembly since September 2024.
"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 declared. He added that the leadership had repeatedly urged Obi and his loyalists to leave if they could not cooperate with the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee.
Accusations and Internal Strife
The statement took a confrontational tone, dismissing Obi's defection speech in Enugu as lacklustre and questioning what new ideas he could offer Nigerians. It further accused Obi and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, of sponsoring efforts to destabilise the party's current leadership.
Disciplinary actions had already been taken against several lawmakers aligned with Obi, with suspensions for alleged anti-party activities. The party revealed it had considered similar action against Obi himself but was stopped by the intervention of "some well-meaning Nigerians."
The Labour Party also criticised the defection event at Nike Lake Resort in Enugu, claiming it was poorly attended and boycotted by key political and traditional figures in the South-East. "All we saw were mere political spent forces who cannot win in their wards should there be an election today," the statement read.
Blaming Obi for South-East's Political Fate
In a sweeping indictment, the Abure-led committee argued that Obi's 2023 presidential bid directly led to the marginalisation of the South-East under President Bola Tinubu's administration. The party alleged the region received only five ministerial slots collectively, while other zones got more, and continues to suffer in infrastructure allocation.
"He must be told that the South East lost out completely in President Tinubu’s government because they trusted and believed in him in 2023," the statement asserted. It questioned if the region would "repeat the same political harakiri."
The party concluded with a public apology and a promise. "We plead for forgiveness from Nigerians. 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," Ifoh stated. The Labour Party promised it is preparing a "better prospect" to bring Nigeria back to what it called its "glorious days."
Peter Obi had officially announced his defection at the Enugu event, calling for a broad national coalition to rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity, and democratic decline.
