Labour Party reacts as Peter Obi dumps party for ADC

The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has reacted to the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing his exit speech as “lacklustre” and his political influence as faded.

Peter Obi formally joined the ADC on Wednesday in Enugu alongside some of his supporters, including serving federal lawmakers.

Reacting to the development, the Labour Party mocked Obi’s defection speech, saying it offered nothing new to Nigerians and showed that he had lost the charm that endeared him to voters during the 2023 presidential election.

In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the Julius Abure-led faction of the party, Obiora Ifoh, the Labour Party said it had long parted ways with Obi and was not surprised by his eventual defection.

The party said it had waited patiently for Obi and his supporters to make the move, noting that it had disengaged from him since September 2024.

“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 statement said.

The party added that Obi’s defection had finally liberated the Labour Party, describing it as a blessing rather than a loss.

According to the statement, the party had repeatedly urged Obi and his followers to leave if they could not work with the party leadership, adding that several lawmakers had already been suspended for anti-party activities.

The Labour Party also accused Obi and Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, of sponsoring the crisis that rocked the party, alleging that both men worked against the Julius Abure-led leadership.

“We expected Governor Otti to follow Obi out of the party. Even though he has been suspended, he is still loitering around. It is not too late for him to follow his political leader,” the party said.

The Labour Party further claimed that Obi’s defection event in Enugu was largely boycotted by prominent political and traditional institutions in the South-East.

“All we saw were political spent forces who cannot win in their wards if elections were held today,” the statement added, describing Obi’s renewed presidential ambition as a failed project.

The party also argued that the South-East suffered politically under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration because of the trust placed in Obi during the 2023 elections.

It claimed that while some states received up to five ministerial slots, the entire South-East zone was given only five ministers, adding that marginalisation of the region had continued in infrastructure allocation.

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

“We gave Nigerians a candidate we thought was good for the nation in 2023, but time has proved that we made the greatest political mistake. We plead for forgiveness from Nigerians,” the statement said.