The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos state has dismissed recent remarks by the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, that nobody can capture the South-East with defections.
The party’s spokesperson, Mogaji Seye Oladejo, described Obi’s comments as long on drama but short on logic, adding that the former Anambra State governor was only making desperate attempts to remain politically relevant in a nation that has moved on from empty populism.
He stated, ‘It is ironic that the same Peter Obi, the undisputed master defector in Nigerian politics now wants to lecture others on political loyalty. This is a man who has jumped from APGA to PDP, then to the Labour Party, and who, according to whispers within his own shrinking circle, is already scouting for another platform ahead of 2027.’
Oladejo accused Obi of suffering selective amnesia over his record of political cross-carpeting, maintaining that, ‘Obi is politically stranded, abandoned by allies, weakened by reality, and walking alone in a wilderness of his own making.’
‘The APC is not capturing the South-East. The region is simply aligning with the national mainstream because Nigerians are rejecting emotional blackmail, divisive rhetoric, and politics of victimhood. The South-East deserves inclusion, infrastructure, and investment, and not empty crusades and sentimental activism,’ he declared.
He further argued that power in Nigeria is earned through structure, consistency, and bridge-building qualities which according to him, Obi lacks.
He stated, ‘His politics of isolation and sanctimony may have trended on social media once, but today’s Nigeria demands substance, not sympathy.’
He, however, advised Obi to come to terms with the new political reality under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and shun divisive and religious politics.
‘The South-East is not anyone’s fiefdom. Divisive and religious politics no longer have a place in a country that is embracing unity and progress. The sooner he faces that truth, the better for what remains of his political relevance.’