By Eteteonline
The defection of Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been hailed by the party’s Julius Abure-led group as a liberation.
After Obi publicly declared his defection in Enugu, Obiora Ifoh, the party’s factional National Publicity Secretary, made this claim in a statement released in Abuja.
At an occasion at the Nike Lake Resort in Enugu State earlier on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, Mr. Obi formally defected to the ADC and deserted the LP.
In the 2023 general election, the LP said it was sorry to field Obi as its flagbearer.
The statement also accused Obi and the governor of Abia State of supporting efforts to remove the existing leadership, blaming them for the party’s internal problems. According to the report, Obi and his supporters had been cut off from the LP since September 2024.
Additionally, the party rejected Obi’s defection event in Enugu as being poorly attended, arguing that it was avoided by important South-East political and traditional leaders.
The statement also accused Obi and the governor of Abia State of supporting efforts to remove the existing leadership, blaming them for the party’s internal problems.
“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.
“We also took note of the lacklustre speech Obi made at the occasion, and wondered what new things he intends to sell to Nigerians. 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.
“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,” he said,
“It will be on record that the leadership of the Labour Party had since urged Obi and his disgruntled followers to exit the party if they were unable to work with the leadership of the party.
“As a matter of fact, the party had suspended many of the lawmakers for anti-party activities and was clearly going to mete the same treatment on the presidential candidate but for the intervention of some well-meaning Nigerians,” he stated.
“We had also expected Governor Otti to follow Obi out of the party. We are surprised that even though he has been suspended from the party, he is still loitering around. It is still not too late for him to follow his political leader,” the statement added.
He said, “The party also warned that the charade which took place today in Enugu was largely boycotted by prominent 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. He has clearly lost the charm that had endeared him to the people before 2023.”
“He must be told that the South East lost out completely in President Tinubu’s government because they trusted and believed in him in 2023. While some states of the federation boast as many as five ministers, all the states in the South East were given a paltry five ministerial slots.
“The marginalisation against the zone has continued even in infrastructure allocation, and I wonder if the Southeast will repeat the same political harakiri.
“The party asks forgiveness from Nigerians for fielding an unfit presidential candidate in 2023,” he 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,” he noted.
However, the Labour Party’s interim leadership, led by Nenadi Usman, claims to have backed Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate in the general elections of 2023, defecting to the African Democratic Congress, or ADC.
In a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, Usman’s Special Adviser (Media), Ken Asogwa, stated that Obi appreciated the party’s support to engage in coalition negotiations from the beginning.
She recounted that on May 26, 2025, Obi had complete approval from the Labour Party to join the ADC coalition. Following Obi’s official admission into the ADC, the party has not stopped supporting him.
She claims that the Labour Party’s leadership tells members across the country that there is no reason for concern as it continues its resolute fight to free the party from the clutches of powerful interests trying to impose a one-party regime on Nigeria.
“We give Peter Obi our full support as he joined the ADC. Following Mr Obi’s anticipated exit, all statutory organs of the Labour Party will convene to chart a fresh and sustainable course for the party.
“We are confident that the fortunes of the party will be revitalised in no time.
“Even as the party works assiduously to fill the void created by the recent wave of defections, we reassure our members that the Labour Party will return stronger, better organised, and more focused.
“The ongoing membership revalidation and registration exercise is designed to inject new energy into the party, and we are pleased to note that the exercise is already yielding positive results,” she said.
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