Dare Babalola
Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has downplayed the significance of recent high-profile defections from the South-East to the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that no political party can “capture” the region or any state merely because a governor or lawmaker defects.
Obi, a former Anambra State governor, spoke to reporters in Abuja on Thursday, emphasising that leadership in a democracy is earned through performance, persuasion, and good governance, rather than through coercion or political maneuvering.
According to him, “The people will ultimately decide where to go, not governors or senators. No party will capture or win any state just because it has a governor.”
Regarding the defection of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah to the APC, Obi described Mbah as a “good friend” who made a personal political decision. He stressed that the South-East’s political landscape is not defined by individual defections but by the will of the people.
“As for the alleged plot to capture the South-East, we are not in a military time when you capture people. You are a leader; you tend to do the right things for them to follow you. So I don’t think anybody is capturing anywhere. The government needs to do more if it wants the people to support it,” Obi said.
Recall that Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, along with members of the State House of Assembly, resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday barely 24 hours after Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, also defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Obi’s comments come amid concerns that the wave of defections could tilt the balance of power in the region ahead of the 2027 general elections. However, he believes that the electorate will ultimately decide the fate of political parties based on their performance.
