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ABUJA, DECEMBER 31, 2025 – In a scathing and unequivocal response, the Labour Party has framed Peter Obi’s departure to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a long-awaited liberation, stating that the party has been “finally liberated by this defection.”

In a press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the party dismissed Obi’s Enugu declaration as a “lacklustre speech” and questioned what new ideas he could possibly sell to Nigerians. The tone was one of relief, not regret.

“We wondered why it took them this long to make the move because we have since September 2024, parted ways with Peter Obi,” the statement read. It revealed that the party had been on the brink of suspending its 2023 presidential candidate before “the intervention of some well-meaning Nigerians” prevented it.

The leadership placed the blame for the party’s internal crises squarely on Obi and Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, accusing them of sponsoring an “insurrection” against the national chairman, Julius Abure. The party expressed surprise that Governor Otti, already suspended, had not followed his “political leader” out of the door.

In a move aimed at dismantling Obi’s political stature, the Labour Party asserted that his Enugu event was “largely boycotted by prominent political and traditional institutions in the South East,” attended only by “political spent forces who cannot win in their wards.” They declared the “Obi presidency (or Vice Presidency)” a “failed project from inception,” claiming he had “lost the charm” that captivated voters in 2023.

The statement took a deeply regional political turn, arguing that the South East had paid a heavy price for supporting Obi 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,” it noted, framing the zone’s current perceived marginalization in President Tinubu’s government as a direct consequence of backing Obi.

Ending with a stark mea culpa and a promise of renewal, the party issued a plea to the nation: “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 Labour Party’s blistering retort signals a bitter and definitive divorce, transforming what Obi called a mission for “national unity” into what his former party labels a liberating exit for its own future. The public feud now sets the stage for a fractured opposition, with both sides vowing to offer Nigerians a better way forward.