Labour Party (LP) has described the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and some of his supporters to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a “liberation” for the party, while also issuing a public apology to Nigerians for fielding what it now calls an “unfitting” presidential candidate in last year’s general election.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, LP said it had long anticipated Obi’s departure.
“For us in 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 also criticised Obi’s speech at the ADC event in Enugu, describing it as “lacklustre” and questioning what new agenda he intends to sell to Nigerians. According to LP, the crisis within the party was instigated by Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti, who allegedly sponsored an insurrection against the leadership of Julius Abure.
“The crisis we had in Labour Party was caused by Peter Obi and the Abia state governor, Dr. Alex Otti. It was them that sponsored the insurrection against the Julius Abure leadership,” the statement read. “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 party further dismissed the ADC gathering, alleging it was largely boycotted by prominent political and traditional institutions in the South East. “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,” the statement added.
Labour Party also expressed frustration with what it described as marginalisation of the South East in the current government, saying the region “lost out completely in the President Ahmed Tinubu’s government because they trusted and believed in him in 2023.”
In a move aimed at restoring public trust, LP extended an apology to Nigerians for its choice of presidential candidate in 2023, and promised to field a stronger contender in future elections.
“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,” Ifoh said.