SUNTV Global Channel | December 31, 2025
The Labour Party (LP) has described the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a “blessing” and a “liberation,” while formally apologising to Nigerians for presenting him as its flagbearer in the last general election.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, and signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the Labour Party said it was neither shocked nor disappointed by Obi’s decision to leave, noting that the party had effectively parted ways with him long before his public defection.
According to the party, Obi’s exit, alongside some of his loyal supporters, marked the end of a prolonged internal struggle, which it said had weighed heavily on its leadership and organisational stability.
“The party is finally liberated by this defection, and as party leaders, we count it as a blessing,” the statement said.
The Labour Party also took a swipe at Obi’s speech at the defection event in Enugu, describing it as “lacklustre” and questioning what fresh ideas the former Anambra State governor still had to offer Nigerians.
“We wondered what new he intends to sell to Nigerians,” the party said, adding that it had been unsurprised by his move, having, according to LP, severed ties with Obi and some of his supporters in the National Assembly as far back as September 2024.
The party disclosed that it had on several occasions advised Obi and his allies to leave if they were unwilling to work with the existing leadership. It claimed that a number of lawmakers were suspended for alleged anti-party activities and that Obi himself would have faced similar disciplinary action but for the intervention of what it described as “well-meaning Nigerians.”
Blaming the party’s prolonged internal crisis on Obi and Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, the Labour Party accused both men of sponsoring an insurrection against the Julius Abure-led leadership.
“The crisis we had in the Labour Party was caused by Peter Obi and the Abia State governor, Alex Otti,” the statement alleged, expressing surprise that Otti had not followed Obi out of the party despite his suspension.
Reacting to the defection event held in Enugu, LP claimed the gathering was largely shunned by notable political figures and traditional institutions in the South East. It dismissed those in attendance as “political spent forces” who, according to the party, lack the grassroots strength to win elections even at ward level.
The party further warned that Obi’s political relevance had significantly waned, insisting that the development signalled the collapse of any future presidential or vice-presidential ambition he might harbour.
“He has clearly lost the charm that endeared him to the people prior to 2023,” the statement said.
The Labour Party also accused Obi of misleading the South East during the 2023 elections, alleging that the region suffered political marginalisation under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration as a result of its overwhelming support for him.
“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,” the party said, citing what it described as unequal ministerial appointments and poor infrastructure allocation to the zone.
In a rare admission, the Labour Party apologised to Nigerians over its choice of candidate in the last general election.
“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,” the statement read.
The party concluded by urging Nigerians to look forward to a “rebranded Labour Party,” promising to present what it described as the “best prospect” capable of returning Nigeria to its “glorious days.”
— SUNTV Global Channel
