Labour Party has described the departure of former presidential candidate Peter Obi as a major blow to the party, saying it lost a “political colossus” with his exit.
A senior figure within the party made the remark while reacting to the continuing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, according to reports.
The official acknowledged Obi’s influence on the Labour Party’s rapid rise during the 2023 elections, when the former Anambra governor attracted massive youth support and reshaped the country’s opposition politics.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, said Obi’s influence within the party was undeniable and his decision to leave marked a major turning point.
According to Asogwa, the party had already sensed Obi’s planned exit long before it became official on December 31 and had begun putting measures in place to reduce the political impact.
“We can’t close our eyes to the fact that we lost Peter Obi, and he was a colossus within the party.
“So the last time I came here, I remember saying to…his departure left a void in the party,” Asogwa said
He explained that the leadership anticipated the move after reports of Obi’s possible defection began circulating and immediately started rebuilding strategies to stabilise the party.
“Before his departure, the rumour was already out there that he was leaving. Before he eventually left, the new leadership had already taken a number of steps to cushion the effects of that departure,” he stated.
Asogwa noted that after Obi’s departure, the party returned to restructuring efforts and focused on strengthening its institutional foundation, particularly by reconnecting with the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress.
He said the Labour Party recognised that its strongest support base lies within the NLC and TUC and worked to restore that relationship after what he described as a period of alienation under the former leadership.
“We discovered that the greatest potential that the Labour Party has is the institutional members it has in the name of NLC and TUC,” he said.
“We went back to marry them and successfully got them back. The former leadership alienated them, but thankfully we were able to bring them back into the fold.”
Despite losing Obi, Asogwa expressed confidence that the party still has the strength to produce another strong presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He maintained that the same Labour Party that produced Obi now has even greater capacity to present another candidate of equal political weight.
His comments come months after the faction led by Julius Abure gave Obi a 48-hour ultimatum to formally resign from the party over his involvement in the opposition coalition led by the African Democratic Congress.
Obi was later unveiled as one of the key figures in the ADC coalition formed to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Reacting to the move, Labour Party spokesman Obiora Ifoh accused Obi of maintaining dual political loyalties and dismissed the coalition as a gathering of power seekers.
