Thursday, January 1, 2026 - 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 it regrets fielding him in the last general election.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, December 31,
the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said Obi’s exit only
confirmed what the leadership claimed had already happened internally amid the
party’s prolonged leadership crisis.
“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.
“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,”
he said,
Ifoh said the party had repeatedly urged Obi and his
loyalists to leave if they could not work with the Abure-led leadership, adding
that disciplinary steps 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.
“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,” he stated.
The statement also accused Obi and Abia State Governor Alex
Otti of contributing to the internal crisis, claiming they sponsored efforts to
unseat the party’s current leadership. The Labour Party said it expected Otti
to follow Obi out of the party, but claimed he remained around 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 party further dismissed Obi’s defection rally in Enugu
as poorly attended and claimed it was boycotted by prominent political and
traditional stakeholders in the South-East.
He said, “The party also warned that the charade which took
place today in Enugu 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. He has clearly
lost the charm that had endeared him to the people before 2023.”
In a sweeping criticism, the Abure-led leadership argued that Obi’s 2023
presidential bid contributed to what it described as the South-East’s marginal
presence under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, alleging the region
received fewer ministerial slots and continued to face marginalization 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. While
some states of the federation boast as many as five ministers, all the states
in the South East were given a paltry five ministerial slots.
“The marginalization against the zone has continued even in infrastructure
allocation and I wonder if the Southeast will repeat the same political
harakiri.
“The party asks forgiveness from Nigerians for fielding unfitting
presidential candidate in 2023,” he said.
The party concluded by asking Nigerians for forgiveness and said it was
preparing what it described as a better alternative ahead of future elections.
“Finally, we urge Nigerians to watch out for the Labour Party. 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,” he
noted.
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
forces to unite under a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from
poverty, disunity and democratic decline.”
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