The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee, NEC, of the Labour Party has condemned the defection of its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, describing it as a “liberation” for the party.
Expressing regrets at fielding him as its flagbearer in the last general election, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said Obi’s exit as merely formalised a political separation that had already occurred months earlier amid a prolonged leadership crisis within the party.
Ifoh stated this in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, hours after Obi formally announced his defection in Enugu.
The LP said, “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.”
Ifoh averred that the party had repeatedly asked Obi and his loyalists to leave if they could not work with the Abure-led leadership, stressing that disciplinary measures had already been taken against several 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 out to the presidential candidate but for the intervention of some well-meaning Nigerians.”
The statement further blamed Obi and the governor of Abia State,Alex Otti, for the internal crisis that rocked the party, accusing both men of sponsoring moves to unseat the current leadership.
He said, “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 LP also dismissed Obi’s defection rally in Enugu as poorly attended, claiming it was shunned by key 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 LP leadership argued that Obi’s 2023 presidential bid contributed to the South-East’s marginal presence in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
It said, “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 marginalisation against the zone has continued even in infrastructure allocation and I wonder if the South-East will repeat the same political harakiri.
“The party asks forgiveness from Nigerians for fielding an unfitting presidential candidate in 2023,” he said.
The party leadership concluded by appealing to Nigerians to give the LP another chance, promising to present what it described as a better political alternative ahead of future elections.
It said, “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.”
