A faction of the Labour Party aligned with Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has dismissed concerns over the defection of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the move as neither surprising nor destabilising to the party.
The position was conveyed in a New Year message issued on Wednesday in Abuja by the Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, and made available to journalists by her media office.
In the statement titled “Labour Party Welcomes Peter Obi’s Defection to the ADC,” signed by her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa, the party recalled that it had formally endorsed Obi’s participation in the ADC-led opposition coalition as far back as May 26, 2025.
Usman explained that Obi’s formal entry into the ADC was therefore consistent with the party’s earlier position and that the Labour Party had not withdrawn its support for its former presidential flagbearer.
“Following Peter Obi’s formalisation of his entry into the ADC today, the Labour Party wishes to reassure its teeming members across the federation that the party has not rescinded the support earlier extended to him,” the statement read.
She further assured party members nationwide that Obi’s exit posed no threat to the stability or future of the Labour Party, noting that the leadership remains focused on reclaiming the party from what she described as entrenched interests seeking to undermine internal democracy and impose a one-party system on Nigeria.
“While the leadership of the Labour Party continues its determined struggle to rescue the party from forces bent on weakening democratic pluralism, we wish to reassure our members that there is absolutely no cause for alarm,” she said.
According to Usman, the party’s statutory organs will meet in the coming days to reposition the Labour Party and chart a fresh, sustainable path following Obi’s anticipated departure.
“After Obi’s exit, all statutory organs of the Labour Party will convene to define a new direction for the party. We are confident that the fortunes of the party will be revitalised in no time,” she stated.
She acknowledged the challenges posed by recent defections but expressed confidence that the party would rebound stronger and better organised.
“Even as we work assiduously to fill the void created by the recent wave of defections, we assure our members that the Labour Party will return stronger, more focused, and more resilient,” Usman said.
Reaffirming confidence in the party’s leadership, she said the Labour Party would continue to position itself as a credible, people-centred alternative ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We assure Nigerians that the Labour Party, under the able and visionary leadership of Senator Nenadi Usman, remains committed to doing what is right and offering the country a credible alternative to the APC’s rudderless government in 2027. There is light at the end of the tunnel,” she added.
The party also urged Nigerians to remain steadfast in their commitment to democratic values despite the nation’s current political and economic challenges.
Earlier on Wednesday, Peter Obi officially defected to the ADC at an event held at Nike Lake Resort, Enugu State, where he called on Nigerians and opposition forces to unite under a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity, and democratic decline.”
Obi also accused the current political leadership of mismanaging national resources and worsening the country’s economic and social conditions.
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