Peter Obi Dismisses One-Party Fears, Says Defections Can’t ‘Capture’ South-East

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has dismissed the growing concern over Nigeria potentially becoming a one-party state, asserting that a political party cannot simply “capture” a region through the defection of its leaders.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, Obi was reacting to the recent defection of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah and his Bayelsa counterpart, Douye Diri, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Obi maintained that the notion that a state can be captured by a political party via its leader’s defection is an outdated idea belonging to Nigeria’s military past.

He stressed that in a democracy, the people hold the ultimate power.

“The people will decide where to go, not governors or senators. No party will capture or win any state just because it has a governor,” Obi stated.

Regarding Governor Mbah, Obi said: “Peter Mbah is a good friend of mine, and I believe that as governor, he must have taken his decision based on his own political views and calculations.”

The former Anambra State Governor specifically dismissed any notion that the South-East could be politically captured, insisting that leadership is about persuasion, not coercion. He called on public officials to focus on good governance and policies that directly improve citizens’ lives, warning that performance is the only factor that can guarantee loyalty from the people, regardless of political realignments.