Peter Obi’s Defection Is A Blessing For Us – Labour Party

In this interview, the national publicity secretary of the Labour Party, OBIORA IFOH, speaks with ADEMU IDAKWO on the exit of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, from the party, internal leadership disputes, claims of factionalisation, the future of the Obedient Movement, and the party’s political strategy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In light of the post-2023 internal crises within the party, did the leadership foresee Peter Obi’s eventual exit?

The truth is that we only formally parted ways with Peter Obi a few days ago. However, in practical terms, he left this party more than a year ago. He left on September 4th, 2024. That was when he was obliged to participate in a meeting that led to the formation of a parallel executive of the Labour Party in Umuahia, Abia State. It was from that day that they made up their minds to cause a crisis in the party. They wanted to strangle the leadership of the party led by Julius Abure. They attempted to disempower us and seize control, but the law prevailed. He and his group waited this long with a strategy that would make it impossible for the Labour Party to operate in 2027, but they couldn’t succeed.

There are some people he left behind in the party, but we are using this medium to appeal to them to follow their leader so that we can be completely free and concentrate on preparations towards 2027.

The Labour Party has been described as being divided into three factions. Which faction do you belong to?

I just wanted to let you know that I take exception to that. I have just told you that there is no faction in the party. The Labour Party Executive Committee has always remained under the leadership of Julius Abure. These individuals sought to assume the party’s leadership, but in every society, there are established rules that govern and stipulate how leadership is formed. They did not want to obey the law. Instead, they attempted to employ various tactics and manipulation to gain control.

They sponsored court cases, funded group protests, and sponsored media propaganda against the authentic leadership of Abure. Because they are in government as National Assembly members and have the support of a state governor, they deployed resources to fight the Labour Party’s leadership.

They tried to overwhelm us, but we stood our ground because the law was on our side, and members of the party nationwide stood by us. So, we defeated them. In brief, the so-called faction was a media creation. I am surprised that you are asking about a faction; there is no faction in the party.

Many Nigerians associated the Labour Party almost entirely with Peter Obi. Without him, what does the party now represent?

It (his defection) is actually a blessing to us. If you have read my statement immediately after his exit, I said Peter’s exit has liberated the party. This is because many people who were planning to join the party were hesitant, as they believed Peter Obi would still be the presidential flagbearer in 2027.

Even in our April 2024 National Convention, we had returned him as the sole presidential candidate for 2027, and we were about to finalise that when normalcy returned before he left.

A week after his exit, many people joined the Labour Party because it is seen as an alternative to dislodge the All Progressives Congress (APC) from power in 2027.

The Labour Party is the only party that can stop the ruling party from drifting towards a one-party system, which they (leaders of the APC) are working towards.

Other opposition parties are facing severe crises, and the coalition they are discussing has already been rejected before it could even begin, as it represents tired old faces that contributed to the problems we are facing today.

Therefore, there is nothing that anybody can achieve within the coalition. We take pride in being the genuine alternative to the party in power.

How does the party intend to retain the millions of votes mobilised under the Obedient Movement with the exit of its principal, Peter Obi?

That is a misconception. People did not remember that before Peter Obi joined us, Abia State Governor Alex Otti was already in our party. Pat Utomi had already paid for his presidential nomination. We had four presidential aspirants vying for the office of President of Nigeria. We cannot, however, rule out the fact that Peter’s entry brought more support to our party. Every election has its own dynamics.

The Obedient Movement was a spin-off of the EndSARS movement. It was anchored on youth participation. The youth sought to take over governance from those they perceived as having misruled the country, and they needed a platform. That is how they came into the party.

Peter Obi alone did not make that decision single-handedly. It was a collective decision of all of them, just like the members of the Big Tent led by Pat Utomi. The Obedients were seeking a venue to vent their anger at the old politicians. They were already there before Obi joined. We have so many other groups, and all of them worked for EndSARS.

The Obedient Movement is no longer under the control of Peter Obi. He even said recently that we have Obidients in the Labour Party, in the PDP, and many other political parties. It is an amorphous group and no longer affiliated with any political party.

As I speak to you, 50% of them are in the Labour Party, and their members are all over the world—in the UK, the US, and so on. They are still loyal to the Labour Party. They have not left the party because they found out that Peter was not the democrat everybody expected him to be. We are pleased that the initial challenges we had with INEC have been resolved, and the electoral body has begun working with the Abure-led team.

People are speculating that there will be an implosion in the ruling party, which may be to our advantage, as many of its members are now eyeing the Labour Party.

The same atmosphere that brought Peter Obi to the Labour Party will still be endearing many as we approach the season, and let me shock you: before the end of June, the party will be somewhere. We are not claiming to have the strength and power of the ruling party, but we are indeed the only alternative in 2027.

Critics argue that the party failed to manage its internal crisis and ultimately pushed out its most viable presidential candidate. Who should take the responsibility for this?

The issue concerned one or two individuals entrusted with the power to galvanise the party, who instead chose to act otherwise.

In September 2024, Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti were in Umuahia to create a constitutional crisis by attempting to dissolve the party leadership unconstitutionally, and we resisted it. That is all about the crisis you are hearing about.

Now that they have seen there is no way, they have taken an exit door, and there are no more crises. It was a learning experience for us, and we hope it doesn’t happen again.

They were saying the leadership of Abure should step down, and we asked them to do so through the rule of law or actions that are in line with the party constitution and electoral acts, but they said no.

We are not afraid of defection. Politics in Nigeria is so bad that people defect at the click of a mouse or in the blink of an eye, without any repercussions.

The Nigerian law has not been able to rise to the defense of the constitution, which says that if you defect, you must vacate your seat. Unfortunately, people are now applauding those who violate the laws of the land.

I can tell you that many of them may still defect, but we expect more to join us as well. Defection is happening not only in the Labour Party but also in the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, and other parties.

Is the party now open to alliances or a merger to remain politically relevant ahead of 2027?

We have always been open to alliances with political associations. Many associations, like “The Big Tent” and others, came to join us in 2023. But we have learned our lessons from the Obedient Movement.

What was the problem with the Obedient Movement?

Part of the problem we had with them is that they only had the interest of their principal, Peter Obi, and they were not concerned about the party. Immediately after the presidential election, they refused to participate in other polls. They are not registered party members.

They were only interested in one man, and politics is not like that. Most of the people making noise and shouting are not card-carrying members of the Labour Party. It is not done that way. One must be a member of a party to claim rights. You must pay your dues and participate in all its activities.

Will it be right for someone to say the Obedient Movement was a curse to the Labour Party, going by what you have said?

No, that word is powerful; nobody is a curse to anybody. They complemented our efforts during the presidential elections. Their efforts were not viewed negatively, except that most of them didn’t even know what the party stands for.

For example, some of the people we elected into the National Assembly were collecting a limousine worth N160 million.  We called them and said no, this is against the party’s policies and principles. They should have returned it, but they refused to do so. Instead, they started fighting the party’s leadership.

Most of these people could not afford to buy nomination forms, so we provided them with the forms free of charge because they were financially struggling. It is in the Labour Party that an Okada rider was elected as a member of the House of Representatives in the 2023 election. A quarry worker from Enugu State was also elected to the national assembly.

But what do we get in return? These people decided to deviate from the manifestoes of the party and joined those politicians whom Nigerians are tired of

Some insiders close to the former presidential candidate of your party, Peter Obi, stated that he left the party because he was dissatisfied with the way things were being handled. How do you respond?

Well, he has moved on, just as we in the Labour Party have also moved on. Although Peter Obi has granted several media interviews before now, he has never said that the party wronged him in any way. If he perceived any wrongdoing, the blame should be directed at the elected representatives and the governor. They are in government, and they were expected to implement the party’s manifesto.

We had over 42 federal lawmakers, approximately 40 members of the State House of Assembly, and a governor. These people created chaos in the party because they failed to obey instructions from the party leadership. We never wronged Peter Obi.

You earlier alleged that Alex Otti, the Abia State Governor, was one of the figures behind the party’s internal crisis. With his recent declaration that he is staying in the party after Peter Obi’s exit, what steps do you intend to take?

What led to his indefinite suspension was his role as chairman of the convention committee that produced the present executive. Every member of his government attended that convention and was led there by his deputy.

The convention took place on March 27, 2024. Three months later, he turned around to say that the Abure-led executive should not be recognised.

When he was suspended, we thought he would reflect and change so that we could lift the suspension. Instead, he began supporting Nnenadi Usman, who was never a member of our party, to become an interim national chairman. Where is that done? We are not in the habit of sending people away. If he repents fully, we will consider lifting the suspension.

Even Peter Obi, if he decides to return, will be welcome. We are, however, surprised that someone who already has a presidential ticket would be struggling for a vice-presidential ticket in another party.

If the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) approaches the Labour Party with an offer of a joint presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 elections, would your party consider such an alliance?

The Labour Party has a clearly defined political ideology that is fundamentally different from that of the APC. We are a Labour Party, just like Labour parties elsewhere, including in the United Kingdom. Everywhere there is a Labour Party, the ideology is the same.

Even if we have only one person in government, we are fine, as long as our ideology is intact. We are not interested in compromising our ideology or the party’s principles. We are not interested in a merger with any political party, including the APC.