Obi’s defection from LP shows leadership failure — Ex-Delta gov aspirant
Former Delta State governorship aspirant, Dr O’Diakpo Obire, has slammed Peter Obi’s defection from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress, saying strong political leaders do not abandon their party structures.
In an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, Obire said Obi’s inability to maintain a functional party structure after the 2023 general elections prompted his defection to the ADC.
“It’s a failure on his part as a leader already, because if he were a leader who could assemble people, who could assemble an army to go and fight, he should have been able to put the Labour Party together after the general election. But he failed to do that; the structure scattered,” Obire said.
He added that Obi not only inherited a weak structure but further dismantled it, leaving the party disjointed.
“In fact, there was no structure before, and he further dismantled the structure of the Labour Party. Now, he has gone to ADC to seek a greener pasture. There’s nothing wrong with that.
“A leader must be able to stand firm, put his house in order and be prepared with his loyalists to fight the political battle. He should begin by fixing the problems within the Labour Party.
“There is effectively no structure in the ADC; it merely comprises a group of disgruntled individuals. There is no guarantee that he will emerge as the presidential candidate of the party.”
Obire also questioned the credibility of the political figures now associated with ADC, noting their past roles in government.
“These are the same problems that have been there while they held sway in offices. Some of them were governors, some senators. They didn’t solve those problems then, so I don’t see what they are bringing now that will make Nigeria better.”
While critical of the opposition, Obire praised the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing ongoing reforms as bold and long-term oriented.
“The present administration is already on the right track. Nigeria is on the right track. We are having audacious moves in Nigeria for the first time,” he said.
“The president is looking at the long run, not the immediate effect, because Nigerians have to be fixed. And if we must fix Nigeria, we must be able to take some pains. And that is what the president is doing.”
On his own political ambitions, Obire clarified he will not run for office but pledged his support for candidates under the All Progressives Congress.
“I am fully in support of anyone who is running on the platform of the APC. And we are very hopeful that 2027 is going to be a free and fair election just as it was in 2023,” he said.
Obi formally defected to the African Democratic Congress on December 31, 2025, and urged Nigerians and opposition forces to unite under a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity and democratic decline.”
