Valentine Ozigbo Hopes Peter Obi Joins APC After Labour Party Defection
Valentine Ozigbo, a former member of the Labour Party (LP), has expressed hope that Peter Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State and LP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, will join him in the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ozigbo’s statement comes just days after he announced his defection to the ruling APC, citing the ongoing crisis within the Labour Party as a key reason for his decision.
Ozigbo, who had contested the 2023 presidential election on behalf of LP, made the revelation on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Thursday, February 27, 2025. He revealed that he had informed all relevant stakeholders before making his decision to leave the party. When asked about Peter Obi’s reaction to his defection, Ozigbo stated that he had discussed his decision with Obi and expressed his desire to welcome him to the APC if he chose to join in the future.
“I told him a few things, not about coming to the APC, but I would like to welcome him to the APC someday if he so desires,” Ozigbo said. “I engaged with everybody I needed to engage with before leaving the Labour Party. I had a meeting with Peter Obi, where I told him that I didn’t see myself running for this election within the Labour Party and that I would be making a decision soon.”
Ozigbo further explained that once he made the decision to leave the Labour Party, he wasted no time in making the move to APC. He also added that he visited the Labour Party leadership to personally say goodbye, expressing his disappointment over the internal crisis that had engulfed the party.
Reflecting on the situation within the Labour Party, Ozigbo described the party’s internal issues as increasingly worse than those of both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and APC. He emphasized that the party’s unresolved crises made it difficult for him to continue as a member. “It’s becoming worse than the PDP and APC combined,” Ozigbo stated.
With his defection, Ozigbo joins a growing list of LP members who have left the party due to the ongoing internal strife.
