The Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party, LP, has described Peter Obi’s defection to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, as a long-awaited liberation for the party. Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, officially joined ADC on Wednesday, ending months of speculation.
In a statement, Obiora Ifoh, the LP faction’s national publicity secretary, said the party had no regrets over Obi’s exit, noting that the split had effectively occurred months earlier due to ongoing leadership disputes within the party.
“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,” the statement reads.
Ifoh said the party had already distanced itself from Obi and some of his allies in the national assembly since September 2024.
“For us in the Labour Party, we wondered why it took them this long to make the move, because we have, since September 2024, parted ways with Peter Obi and some of his blind supporters in the national assembly,” he added.
The LP spokesperson stressed that Obi and his followers had been repeatedly urged to leave the party if they could not collaborate with the Abure-led leadership.
“It will be on record that the leadership of the Labour Party had long urged Obi and his disgruntled followers to exit the party if they were unable to work with the leadership,” Ifoh said.
He further accused Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti of fueling internal crises, noting that despite Otti’s suspension, he had yet to follow Obi out of the party. Ifoh also dismissed the Enugu event where Obi formally joined ADC, claiming it was largely ignored by key political and traditional figures in the South-East.
Reflecting on Obi’s 2023 presidential bid, Ifoh claimed it undermined the South-East’s influence in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“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,” he said.
Ifoh concluded by appealing to Nigerians to give the Labour Party another chance in future elections.
“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,” he said.
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