Labour Party ‘Liberated’ By Peter Obi’s Defection, Says Spokesman Ifoh

* Apologises to Nigerians

The Labour Party (LP) has described the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a relief, declaring that the party has now been “finally liberated” from an internal crisis it blamed on the former presidential flagbearer and his allies.

The party also pleaded for forgiveness from Nigerians for presenting Obi as its presidential candidate in 2023 election, saying it was a major political error.

LEADERSHIP had reported that Obi announced his defection to ADC in Enugu State on Wednesday, where he delivered a New Year address, accusing the current political leadership of state capture, economic mismanagement and systematic erosion of democratic values. He also said his defection was guided solely by patriotism and national interest.

READ ALSO: Peter Obi, South-East Senators, Others Join ADC In Enugu

But, in a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday and signed by LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the party said it had long parted ways with Obi and was unsurprised by his exit.

“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,” the statement read.

The party also took a swipe at Obi’s address during his formal declaration at the ADC event in Enugu, describing it as uninspiring.

“We also took note of the lacklustre speech Mr. Obi made at the occasion, and wondered what new he intends to sell to Nigerians,” LP stated.

According to the party, Obi and Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti, were responsible for the prolonged leadership crisis within the Labour Party, alleging that both sponsored “an insurrection against the Julius Abure leadership.”

“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 party claimed.

LP added that it had previously urged Obi and his supporters to leave the party if they could not work with its leadership, noting that several lawmakers were suspended for anti-party activities.

“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,” the statement said.

The party also expressed surprise that Governor Otti had not followed Obi out of the party despite his suspension.

“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,” it added.

Reacting to the Enugu event, the Labour Party claimed that the gathering was largely boycotted by key political and traditional stakeholders in the South-East politics, dismissing those in attendance as lacking political relevance.

“All we saw were mere political spent forces who cannot win in their wards should there be an election today,” the party said, warning that this was “a clear danger signal that the Obi presidency (or vice presidency) is already a failed project from inception.”

The party further argued that Obi’s 2023 presidential bid had negatively affected the South East, alleging that the zone suffered marginalisation under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration as a result of misplaced political trust.

“He must be told that the South East lost out completely in President Ahmed Tinubu’s government because they trusted and believed in him in 2023,” LP stated, noting that while “some states of the federation boast as much as five ministers, the entire states in the South East was given a paltry five ministerial slot.”

In a rare admission, the Labour Party apologised to Nigerians for presenting Obi as its presidential candidate in 2023, conceding it as a major political error.

“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 party said.

The party has pledged to rebuild and reposition ahead of future elections.

“Finally, we urge Nigerians to watch out for the Labour Party. We are already working out the best prospect that we hope will bring Nigeria back to its glorious days,” it added.