Former governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Valentine Ozigbo has explained why he ended his political relationship with Peter Obi and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr Ozigbo spoke during an interview with Symfoni TV on YouTube.
He said his decision followed his experience in the Labour Party and disagreements with some members of the party.
According to him, the situation made him reconsider his political direction.
“I don’t want to waste my time with unserious people. Even though I’m not a proponent of APC’s approaches, I’m better off fighting from the inside. Peter Obi lacks basic leadership traits. He threw me under the bus,” he said.
Ozigbo said he had hoped the Labour Party would become an alternative in Nigerian politics but his experience in the party changed his view.
“I was hoping the Labour Party was going to be the alternative, but what I went through in the Labour Party showed me that they were even worse than the parties we are criticising,” he said.
He also said some leaders in the party did not organise it as an opposition.
“Some of the people who were in leadership, including Peter Obi, failed that test of leadership because he couldn’t galvanise the Labour Party. That’s why the losses in different states,” he said.
Valentine Ozigbo, who left the Labour Party in February 2025, said events during the party’s congress in Anambra State also influenced his decision.
“The only person who could have led Labour to win was me. Congress was held, and everybody who was on my side was thrown under the bus in the congress of the Labour Party in Anambra State. I complained. I wrote petitions,” he said.
He added that joining the APC allows him to work within the system.
“Even though I’m not proud of what the APC has done. But some of us are in the APC to tell the leadership to do things better. Let’s earn the trust of people. Let’s conduct ourselves better. I’m better off being there,” he said.
The development comes amid a leadership dispute in the Labour Party.
Peter Obi announced in December 2025 that he was joining a coalition of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
