According to the statement, the Labour Party leadership said it had patiently awaited Obi’s exit, describing it as a blessing.
The Labour Party has described the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a “liberation,” while also apologising to Nigerians for presenting what it termed an unfitting presidential candidate in the last general election.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the party said it had taken note of Obi’s defection alongside some of his supporters, as well as what it called a “lacklustre speech” delivered by the former Anambra State governor at the defection event.
“We wondered what new he intends to sell to Nigerians,” the party said, adding that it was unsurprised by the move, having “since September 2024, parted ways with Peter Obi and some of his blind supporters in the National Assembly.”
According to the statement, the Labour Party leadership said it had patiently awaited Obi’s exit, describing it as a blessing.
“The party is finally liberated by this defection and as party leaders, we count it as a blessing,” the party said.
The party further disclosed that it had previously urged Obi and his supporters to leave if they were unable to work with the party leadership.
It claimed that several lawmakers had been suspended for anti-party activities and that similar action would have been taken against Obi but for the intervention of “some well-meaning Nigerians.”
The Labour Party also blamed its internal crisis on Obi and Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, accusing them of sponsoring what it described as 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, adding that it was surprising Otti had not followed Obi out of the party despite his suspension.
Reacting to Obi’s defection event in Enugu, the party claimed the gathering was largely boycotted by prominent political and traditional institutions in the South East, insisting that those present were “political spent forces who cannot win in their wards should there be an election today.”
It warned that this development signalled the failure of any future Obi presidential or vice-presidential ambition, claiming he had “clearly lost the charm that had endeared him to the people prior to 2023.”
The 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.
“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 statement said, alleging disparities in ministerial appointments and infrastructure allocation to the zone.
The Labour Party apologised to Nigerians for its decision in the last 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 party said.
It urged Nigerians to watch out for a rebranded Labour Party, promising to present “the best prospect” capable of returning Nigeria to what it described as its “glorious days.”