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 the party regrets presenting him as its flagbearer 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 merely formalised a separation the party claims had already occurred internally amid its 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,” Ifoh said. He added that the party was unimpressed by what it described as a lacklustre speech delivered by Obi at the defection event and questioned what new ideas he intended to offer Nigerians.
According to the statement, the Labour Party had since September 2024 considered itself separated from Obi and some of his allies in the National Assembly, noting that it had long anticipated his departure. “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 said.
He further stated that the party had repeatedly asked Obi and his loyalists to leave if they were unwilling to work with the Abure-led leadership, adding that disciplinary actions had already been taken against some lawmakers aligned with the former presidential candidate.
The statement also accused Obi and Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, of fueling the internal crisis by allegedly sponsoring attempts to unseat the party’s current leadership. The party said it expected Otti to follow Obi out of the Labour Party but claimed he remained despite being suspended.
The Abure-led leadership dismissed Obi’s defection rally held in Enugu as poorly attended, alleging that prominent political and traditional stakeholders in the South-East stayed away. It described those present as “spent political forces” and claimed the development signalled that Obi’s future presidential or vice-presidential ambitions were already doomed.
In a broader criticism, the party argued that Obi’s 2023 presidential run contributed to what it described as the marginalisation of the South-East under the administration of Bola Tinubu, alleging the region received fewer ministerial appointments and continued to suffer neglect in infrastructure allocation.
The Labour Party concluded by apologising to Nigerians for fielding Obi as its presidential candidate in 2023, describing the decision as its “greatest political mistake,” and said it was working on presenting a better alternative ahead of future elections.
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 figures to unite under a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity and democratic decline.”