The Labour Party (LP) has declared that it has been “finally liberated” following the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Obiora Ifoh, said the exit of Obi and some of his supporters marked the end of a long-running internal crisis that had destabilised the party.
The party leadership described Obi’s defection as a “blessing,” noting that it had effectively parted ways with him as far back as 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,” the statement read.
The Labour Party claimed it had repeatedly urged Obi and his loyalists to leave if they could not work with the party leadership, adding that several lawmakers had earlier been suspended for alleged anti-party activities.
According to the statement, the internal crisis within the party was allegedly orchestrated by Obi and Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, whom it accused of sponsoring actions aimed at undermining the Julius Abure-led leadership.
The party expressed surprise that Governor Otti, despite being suspended, had yet to formally exit the party, urging him to follow Obi’s path.
Commenting on Obi’s defection event in Enugu, the Labour Party dismissed the gathering as “lacklustre,” alleging it was largely boycotted by prominent political and traditional figures in the South-East.
“All we saw were political spent forces who cannot win in their wards should elections be held today,” the party said, describing Obi’s renewed presidential ambition as a “failed project from inception.”
The Labour Party further blamed Obi for what it described as the South-East’s marginalisation under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, citing limited ministerial appointments and infrastructure allocations to the region.
“The South-East lost out completely in the President Ahmed Tinubu’s government because they trusted and believed in him in 2023,” the statement added.
In a rare admission, the party apologised to Nigerians for fielding Obi as its presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, admitting it was a political misjudgment.
“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,” the statement said.+See more details
The party concluded by assuring Nigerians that it is already working on presenting a “better prospect” capable of restoring the country’s glory.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
