The Labour Party has responded to the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and some of his supporters to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the move as a long-awaited separation that “liberates” the party.

The party’s leadership, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, on Wednesday, noted that it had parted ways with Obi and several of his supporters in the National Assembly as early as September 2024, following repeated internal disagreements.
“For us in Labour Party, we wondered why it took them this long to make the move because we have since 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 said.

The party accused Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti of sponsoring what it described as “insurrection against the Julius Abure leadership” and noted that disciplinary measures, including suspensions, had been taken against several lawmakers for anti-party conduct. Ifoh said the party had intended similar action against Obi but was dissuaded by interventions from well-meaning Nigerians.
The Labour Party also criticised the defection event in Enugu, claiming it was largely boycotted by 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 read.
Stressing what it described as under-representation of the South East in the current federal government, the party said, “He must be told that the South East lost out completely in the President Ahmed Tinubu’s government because they trusted and believed in him in 2023. While some states of the federation boast as much as five ministers, the entire states in the South East were given a paltry five ministerial slot. The marginalisation against the zone has continued even in infrastructure allocation, and I wonder if the Southeast will repeat the same political harakiri again.”

The Labour Party further acknowledged it erred in fielding Obi as its 2023 presidential candidate.
The party 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.”