Former Delta State governorship aspirant, Dr O’Diakpo Obire, has criticised Peter Obi’s reported defection from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), arguing that strong political leaders do not abandon their party structures in the face of internal challenges.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, Obire said Obi’s exit from the Labour Party reflected a failure of leadership, particularly his inability to build and sustain a viable party structure after the 2023 general elections.
“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,” Obire said.
According to him, the Labour Party’s internal structure deteriorated significantly after the polls, a situation he blamed on Obi’s leadership.
“He inherited a weak structure and further dismantled it. The structure scattered, and now he has gone to the ADC to seek a greener pasture. There’s nothing wrong with moving, but a leader must first put his house in order,” he added.
Obire argued that a committed political leader should remain within his party to resolve internal issues rather than defecting to another platform.
“A leader must be able to stand firm, organise his loyalists and prepare to fight the political battle. He should begin by fixing the problems within the Labour Party,” he said.
He also cast doubt on the strength and credibility of the ADC, describing the party as lacking a coherent political structure.
“There is effectively no structure in the ADC; it is merely a group of disgruntled individuals. There is no guarantee that he will even emerge as the presidential candidate of the party,” Obire stated.
Questioning the political pedigree of figures now aligned with the ADC, Obire said many of them had previously held public office without delivering meaningful change.
“Some of them were governors, some senators. These are the same problems that existed when they held sway. They didn’t solve them then, so I don’t see what they are bringing now that will make Nigeria better,” he said.
While critical of the opposition, Obire praised the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing its policies as bold and forward-looking.
“The present administration is already on the right track. Nigeria is on the right track,” he said, adding that the government’s reforms were aimed at long-term national development rather than short-term gains.
“The president is looking at the long run, not the immediate effect. If Nigeria must be fixed, Nigerians must be ready to endure some pain, and that is what the president is doing,” Obire added.
