By Desire Emmanuel
The Labour Party on Wednesday, December 31, begged Nigerians for fielding Mr Peter Obi as its presidential candidate during the 2023 general election, saying it made the greatest political mistake for doing so.
“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.
The party stated this in a statement by Obiorah Ifoh, its National Publicity Secretary, shortly after Obi defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) at a ceremony held in Enugu State.
The Labour Party stated: “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 (ADC). We also took note of the lacklustre speech Mr. Obi made at the occasion, and wondered what new he intends to sell to Nigerians.
“For us in 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.
“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 and was clearly going to mete the same treatment on the presidential candidate but for the intervention of some well-meaning Nigerians.
“The crisis we had in Labour Party was caused by Peter Obi and the Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti. It was the two of them that sponsored the insurrection against the Julius Abure leadership.
“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 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 prior 2023.
“He must be told that the South East lost out completely in the President Ahmed Tinubu’s government because they trusted and believed in him in 2023. While some states of the federation boast as much as five ministers, the entire states in the South East was given a paltry five ministerial slot. The marginalization against the zone has continued even in infrastructure allocation and I wonder if the Southeast will repeat the same political harakiri again.
“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.”
