Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has criticized the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the recent wave of defections by opposition governors and lawmakers, stating that Nigeria is not under military rule.
Obi’s comments, made to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, come amid the high-profile defections of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah and his Bayelsa counterpart, Douye Diri to the APC.
“We are not in a military time when you capture people,” Obi said in a sharp rebuke of the political realignment.
Addressing the move by Governor Mbah, whom he described as a “good friend,” Obi stated, “I believe that as governor, he must have taken his decision based on his own political views and calculations.”
The former Anambra State governor also dismissed claims that the South-East could be “captured” politically. He, however, insisted that genuine leadership in a democracy is achieved through persuasion, not force.
“As for the alleged plot to capture the South-East, we are not in a military time when you capture people,” he reiterated. “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.”
Obi called on public officials to prioritize good governance and policies that directly improve the lives of citizens, warning that no amount of political realignment can guarantee loyalty without performance.
“The government needs to do more if it wants the people to support it,” he added.
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