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Oseloka Obaze, a prominent strategist and former campaign manager for Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, resigned from the party on Sunday, May 4, 2025.

In a resignation letter addressed to the Labour Party chairman in his Ochuche Ward, Obaze condemned the party’s April 5 governorship primary in Anambra as “fraught with outright irregularities, bordering on fraud and criminality.”

He also criticized the unresolved leadership feud between factional chairman Julius Abure and caretaker committee head Nenadi Usman, stating the party’s internal chaos contradicted its “espoused core values” and democratic principles.

Labour Party faces mass defections

According to The Cable, Obaze’s departure follows a wave of resignations from the Labour Party, signaling growing disillusionment among its ranks.

Last week, Titus Odo, the party’s Enugu spokesperson, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), alongside Emeka Mamah, a former campaign coordinator for Obi. Similarly, Enugu lawmaker Eze Gabriel abandoned the LP for the PDP in April, citing “irreconcilable differences” with the party’s leadership.

Analysts suggest these defections reflect broader instability within the LP, which has struggled to maintain cohesion since Obi’s 2023 presidential bid.

A seasoned diplomat and former Secretary to the Anambra State Government under Obi’s administration, Obaze played a pivotal role in shaping the “Obidient” movement.

His resignation letter emphasized that the Anambra primaries, which allegedly favored a handpicked candidate, were “not in tandem with true tenets of democracy.” Political commentator Reuben Abati noted, “Obaze’s exit is a significant blow to Obi’s influence, especially in the Southeast, where the LP’s credibility is already eroding.”

The Labour Party’s national leadership has yet to respond publicly, but insiders reveal tensions over resource allocation and candidate selection ahead of the 2027 elections.

Meanwhile, Obaze has not disclosed his next political move, though speculation links him to potential alliances with smaller parties or a return to the PDP, which he left in 2022 ahead of Obi’s defection.